y  '.  L..X  i  4    i/  ;.  * 


WASHINGTON 
THE  GREAT  AMERICAN  MASON 


WASHINGTON 

Engraved  from  the  portrait,  painted  from  life  6j/  Williams,  for  Alex- 
andria Lodge  No.  22  F.  &  A.  M.,  Virginia,  179%. 


WASHINGTON 

THE  GREAT  AMERICAN  MASON 


BY 

JOHN  J.  LANIER 

Masonic  Lecturer,  and  Author  of  "The  Master  Mason," 

"Masonry  and  Citizenship,"  "Washington,  the 

Great  American  Mason,"  "Masonry 

and    Protestantism,"    etc. 


Copyright.  1928, 
By  JOHN  J.  LANIER 

JHrtt  Printing,  Sept.,  19tt,  3000  copies 


Press  of 

J.  J.  Little  &  Ivea  Company 
New  York,  U.  S.  A. 


To 
CHARLES  A.  MAcHENRY 

Whose    kindness   and    friendship   to 

me  in  the  early  days  of  1922  meant 

more  than  he  perhaps  will  ever  know 

THIS  BOOK  IS  DEDICATED 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

INTRODUCTION 1 

MASONS  TO  HONOR  WASHINGTON 8 


PART  I 
THE  MASONIC  CAREER  OF  WASHINGTON 

WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT  AMERICAN  MASON 12 

WASHINGTON'S  INITIATION,  PASSING  AND  RAISING     ...       17 
THE  MASONIC  CAREER  OF  WASHINGTON 23 

THE  ATTEMPT  TO  ELECT  WASHING-TON  GRAND  MASTER  OF 
THE  UNITED  STATES 36 

AFTER  THE  REVOLUTION 41 

INAUGURATED  AS  PRESIDENT 45 

THE  DEATH  OF  WASHINGTON 54 

PART  II 

GREAT    AMERICAN    MASONS    CONTEMPORARY 
WITH  WASHINGTON 

REVOLUTIONARY  MASONS 59 

JEWISH  MASONS  WHO  HELPED  WASHINGTON 69 

RIGHT  WORSHIPFUL  JOSEPH  MONTFORT 75 

JOHN  PAUL  JONES 99 

THE  GROVE  HOUSE 124 

vii 


viii  CONTENTS 

PART  III 

THE  WASHINGTON  FAMILY 

PAGB 

EARLY  SETTLEMENT  AT  WAKEFIELD 132 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON- 146 

PART  IV 
WASHINGTON,  THE  MAN  AND  PATRIOT 

WASHINGTON  THE  MAN 156 

WASHINGTON'S  EDUCATION 162 

WASHINGTON   THE    CHURCHMAN 166 

MASONIC  SENTIMENTS  OF  WASHINGTON 170 

DOCTOR  GEORGE  WASHINGTON 174 

WASHINGTON'S  WILL 181 

THE  MASONIC  IDEAL  OF  WEALTH 193 

PART  V 

WASHINGTON'S  MOTHER   LODGE 
FHEDERICKSBURG  LODGE,  No.  4,  F.  &  A.  M 203 

PART  VI 
GEORGE  WASHINGTON'S  WILL  248 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

Washington Frontispiece 

Seal  of  American  Union  Lodge  ....     Page       29 

Jewel  of  the  Grand  Masters  of  Virginia,  Made  to 

be  Worn  by  George  Washington    Facing  page       32 

Washington  Masonic  Medal,  1797     .      .      .     Page       88 
Arms  of  the  Freemasons 39 

The  Bible  on  Which  Washington  Took  the  Oath  of 

Office  as  President Page       46 

Where  the   Mother  of  Washington   Lived   at   the 

Time  of  Her  Death       .      .      .     Facing  page       48 

Washington's  Farewell  to  His  Mother  50 

Masonic  Funeral  Services  at  Mt.  Vernon     .     Page       56 

The  Master's  Chair  of  Royal  White  Hart  Lodge 

Page       80 

Right  Worshipful  Joseph  Montfort     Facing  page       80 

Royal  White  Hart  Lodge,  Halifax,  N.  C. 

Facing  page       84 

Historic  Old  Grove  House,  Halifax,  N.  C. 

Facing  page     124 

Wakefield,  the  Birthplace  of  George  Washington 

Facing  page     146 

iz 


x  LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

Fac-simile  of  the  Records  Showing  the  Initiation, 
Passing  and   Raising  of  George  Washington 

Facing  page     206 

Rising  Sun  Tavern,  Fredericksburg,  Va.    "  £10 

Fac-simile   of  the   Oldest    Extant   Record   in   the 

World  of  the  Royal  Arch  Degree  Facing  page     212 

Seal  of  Fredericksburg  Lodge     ....     Page     215 

The  Bible  on  Which  Washington  was  Obligated  as 

a  Mason Facing  page     216 


PREFACE 

Here  is  much  information  about  the  Masonic 
career  of  Washington  in  various  books  and  maga- 
zines but  it  is  costly  and  so  scattered  that  most 
Masons  would  never  get  it.  I  have  collected  much 
of  this  information  in  this  book  with  much  labor 
and  heavy  expense  and  arranged  it  into  a  story  of 
Washington's  Masonic  life  in  order  to  show  how 
important  a  part  Masonry  played  in  his  life  and  in 
the  making  of  our  nation.  I  disclaim  originality 
for  much  of  the  material  in  this  book.  I  am  prin- 
cipally the  compiler  and  editor,  and  quote  freely 
from  the  sources  mentioned  below. 

"Washington  and  His  Masonic  Compeers,"  by 
Hayden,  published  by  Macoy  Publishing  and  Ma- 
sonic Supply  Company,  45  John  St.,  New  York, 
one  of  the  first  and  still  one  of  the  most  valuable 
and  interesting  books  on  the  Masonic  life  of  Wash- 
ington; "Washington  Sesqui-Centennial  Celebrated 
Nov.  5,  1902,"  published  by  the  Grand  Lodge  of 
Pennsylvania ;  "Masonic  Correspondence  of  Wash- 
ington," by  Julius  F.  Sachse,  published  by  the 
Grand  Lodge  of  Pennsylvania;  "Washington,  the 
Man  and  the  Mason,"  by  Charles  H.  Callahan, 


xii  PREFACE 

Alexandria,  Va.,  an  invaluable  book  to  every  one 
who  wishes  to  know  the  Father  of  our  country. 
Also  material  compiled  by  Sidney  Morse,  Bureau 
of  Social  and  Educational  Service  of  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  the  State  of  New  York. 

In  addition  to  the  above,  The  Old  Minute  Book 
of  Royal  White  Hart  Lodge,  Halifax,  N.  C.,  one  of 
the  most  valuable  documents  of  our  early  Masonic 
History;  "History  of  Halifax,"  by  Allen;  and 
Brethren  of  Royal  White  Hart  Lodge. 

Records  in  the  courthouse  of  Spottsylvania 
County,  Va.;  Lives  of  Paul  Jones  by  various  au- 
thors, but  especially  "Some  Facts  about  John  Paul 
Jones,"  by  Junius  Davis.  I  have  used  much  of  his 
argument  and  quote  freely  from  his  pamphlet. 

The  writings  of  Marshall  De  Lancy  Haywood, 
Grand  Historian  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  North  Caro- 
lina; and  a  Prize  Essay  on  "John  Paul  Jones  and 
the  Grove  House,"  by  Miss  Mildred  Campbell  of 
Halifax,  N.  C. 

Finally,  the  chapter  on  The  Mother  Lodge  of 
Washington  is  largely  taken  from  a  history  of 
Fredericksburg  Lodge  by  S.  J.  Quin,  one  of  its 
Past  Masters  and  Past  Grand  Master  of  the  Masons 
in  Virginia. 

JOHN  J.  LAMER 


WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 
AMERICAN  MASON 


INTRODUCTION 

BY  SIDNEY  MORSE 

Executive  Secretary  Bureau  of  Social  and  Educa- 
tional Service,  Grand  Lodge  of  New  York, 
F.    &   A.   M. 

THE  Father  of  our  Country  in  his  famous  fare- 
well address  appealed  in  the  tenderest  and 
most  solemn  tones  against  anything  that  might 
impair  the  unity  of  our  national  life.  As  we 
survey  the  Revolution  in  this  light,  we  can  readily 
perceive  the  influences  for  and  against  unity  of 
thought  and  action.  And  if  we  compare  the  con- 
ditions under  which  our  forefathers  achieved 
national  unity  with  those  now  existing,  we  shall 
find  that  we  and  our  children  are  confronted  with 
a  crisis  as  fraught  with  danger  to  the  very  basis 
of  our  institutions  as  were  those  of  'Seventy-five 
and  'Sixty-one. 

1 


2  WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

The  sources  from  which  were  derived  the  spirit 
of  national  unity  in  the  thirteen  original  Colon' 
lay  deep  in  their  common  heritage  of  race,  o* 
guage   and   literature,    of   religion   anc*  L 

The  elements  of  disunion  were  neare*  L.  sur- 
face in  the  institutional  forms  in  and  through 
which  the  common  racial  heritage  found  expres- 
sion. 

The  great  bulk  of  the  colonists  were  of  Anglo- 
Saxon  blood.  The  language  and  standards  of  cul- 
ture were  everywhere  English.  The  English  Bible 
lay  open  upon  nearly  every  altar.  And  the  basis 
of  government  was  the  principles  of  British  con- 
stitutional and  common  law. 

Today,  in  certain  sections  of  the  United  States, 
these  conditions  are  completely  reversed.  Our 
population  now  includes  many  large  groups  of  im- 
migrants from  races  between  whom  and  the  orig- 
inal Anglo-Saxon  stock  there  is  no  community  of 
sentiment  and  ideals  and  who  differ  equally  as 
widely  from  one  another.  Many  entire  town  and 
village  communities,  as  well  as  "foreign  colonies" 
in  cities,  continue  to  speak  the  language  and  accept 
the  cultural  standards  of  alien  races  from  which 
they  sprang.  A  bare  plurality  of  three  per  cent 
of  the  population  separates  those  churchmen  who 
worship  from  the  English  Bible  and  those  who 


AMERICAN  MASON  3 

have  upon  their  altars  a  Book  of  the  Law  in  some 

"\reign  tongue.     Should  present  tendencies  con- 

the  latter  may  soon  become  in  the  major- 

hich  a  situation  is  it  surprising  that  our 

ann Anglo-Saxon    principles    of    government 

should  be  called  in  question  or  that  political  ideas 
and  systems  originating  with  other  races  and  in 
other  parts  of  the  world  (Roman  Centralism  or  Rus- 
sian Communism,  for  example)  should  be  advo- 
cated in  their  stead? 

THE  "MELTING  POT" 

During  the  World  War,  the  American  people 
were  rudely  awakened  to  the  fact  that  the  prover- 
bial "melting  pot"  was  not  melting.  The  fires  of 
patriotism  and  of  zeal  for  liberty  had  sunk  too  low 
to  fuse  the  vast  masses  of  immigration  from  other 
lands  and  amalgamate  them  into  unity  with  the 
American  people.  Certain  elements  of  alien 
populations  made  war  from  within  upon  the  land 
of  their  adoption.  Others  departed  overseas  to 
fight  for  their  native  lands.  Of  the  draft  army, 
one  soldier  in  four  spoke  a  foreign  language  and 
was  unable  to  comprehend  the  simplest  words  of 
command  in  either  military  or  industrial  life. 
The  very  basis  of  our  national  unity  seemed 
threatened  with  disintegration. 


4  WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

Since  the  war,  the  conflict  of  racial,  sectarian, 
and  economic  groups,  each  fighting  for  its  spe- 
cial interests  and  ends,  many  of  which  are  incon- 
sistent with  national  unity,  has  been  the  outstand- 
ing feature  of  the  daily  news. 

What  our  beloved  America  requires  is  clearly 
the  application  of  the  Masonic  principles  of  uni- 
versal harmony  and  brotherly  love.  And  upon 
Freemasons  rest  the  plain  duty  and  obligation  to 
inculcate  these  principles  by  both  precept  and  ex- 
ample. 

UNION  ORIGINATED  WITH  MASONS 

All  Freemasons  should  know  that  the  idea  of  the 
union  of  the  Colonies  originated  in  colonial  Free- 
masonry, was  developed  and  advocated  by  Free- 
masons, and  was  realized  under  their  leadership. 
Indeed,  Fremasonry  was  the  only  institution  in 
colonial  times  in  which  the  leaders  of  all  the  dif- 
ferent Colonies  could  meet  upon  common  ground. 
The  faith  of  nearly  all  was  grounded  in  the  English 
Bible.  But  the  Puritans  of  New  England,  with 
their  Congregational  form  of  government,  looked 
askance  upon  the  Established  church  of  the  South- 
ern Colonies  and  regarded  its  prelates  with  little 
less  abhorrence  than  they  felt  for  the  Papacy. 
The  general  principles  of  British  constitutional  and 
common  law  were  shared  by  all  the  Colonies.  But 


AMERICAN  MASON  5 

the  institutions  of  local  government  differed  widely 
in  both  form  and  spirit.  The  town  meeting  system 
of  New  England  and  the  parish  and  vestry  system 
of  the  Southern  Colonies  were  as  far  apart  as  the 
poles. 

Only  the  Masonic  Lodge  was  the  same  institution 
in  every  part  of  the  Colonies.  In  the  Lodges,  the 
leaders  of  all  the  Colonies  were  taught  the  same 
principles  and  practiced  the  same  polity.  In  their 
Lodge  communications  and  other  fraternal  gather- 
ings, the  Freemasons  established  a  common  meet- 
ing ground  where  men  of  the  most  diverse  religious 
and  political  views,  whether  rich  or  poor,  could 
come  together  in  the  spirit  of  harmony  and  mutual 
confidence.  Members  of  all  the  Lodges  were 
trained  in  the  exercise  of  self-government  under 
constitutional  restraints.  Indeed,  a  review  of  all 
the  evidence  will  suggest  to  the  thoughtful  mind 
that  the  Masonic  Lodge,  derived  from  the  ancient 
Anglo-Saxon  Guild  may  have  been  the  "primordial 
cell"  of  the  American  state  rather  than  the  New 
England  Town  Meeting  derived  from  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  folk-mote. 

STABILIZING  INFLUENCE  OF  MASONRY 

The  Anglo-Saxons  were  themselves  immigrants 
when  they  came  to  these  shores  and  their  stock  was 


6  WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

early  enriched  by  strains  of  blood  from  other  Euro- 
pean races.  Every  immigrant  race  has  since  made 
its  peculiar  contribution  to  the  great  cultural  com- 
plex that  we  call  America.  One  racial  stock  has 
given  us  its  genius  for  religion;  another  the  love 
of  art  and  music,  the  joy  of  life  and  the  sense  of 
beauty.  America  needs  and  welcomes  all.  But  the 
Anglo-Saxon  alone  of  all  modern  races  has  evinced 
the  true  instinct  of  and  capacity  for  self-govern- 
ment. The  political  institutions  of  our  Fathers 
are  still  the  best  the  world  has  ever  seen  and  it  is 
our  plain  duty  as  their  descendants,  not  only  to 
ourselves  and  our  chldren  but  also  to  those  who 
have  sought  or  shall  seek  Freedom  on  our  shores, 
to  safeguard  the  institutions  that  underlie  our  civil 
and  religious  liberties. 

American  Freemasonry  is  still  the  only  common 
meeting  ground  for  men  of  every  faith  and  shade 
of  political  and  economic  opinion.  The  Masonic 
Lodge  is  still  the  same  institution  in  every  part  of 
the  United  States.  The  leaders  of  Freemasonry  are 
still  being  trained  in  the  practice  of  self-govern- 
ment under  constitutional  restraints  which  derive 
their  sanction  from  immemorial  usage.  In  Free- 
masonry is  being  maintained  an  ideal  republic  of 
citizens  worthy  and  well-qualified,  wherein  true 
spiritual  unity  is  attained. 


AMERICAN  MASON  7 

The  Masonic  institution,  in  short,  is  the  greatest 
stabilizing  influence  in  American  life  and  Free- 
masons should  study  their  priceless  heritage  from 
the  Fathers  in  order  that  their  influence  may  always 
be  consistently  exerted  in  accordance  with  the  high- 
est Masonic  ideals. 


MASONS  TO  HONOR  WASHINGTON 

IN  1920  Fredericksburg  Lodge  No.  4,  Fredericks- 
burg,  Va.,  Washington's  Mother  Lodge,  of 
which  W.  H.  Rice  was  Worshipful  Master  at  that 
time,  began  a  movement  to  make  November  4th, 
the  day  on  which  George  Washington  was  made  a 
Mason,  a  national  Masonic  holiday.  It  was  begun 
by  asking  the  Grand  Master  of  Masons  in  Virginia 
to  request  the  subordinate  Lodges  in  Virginia  to 
fittingly  celebrate  George  Washington's  Masonic 
birthday,  November  4th.  Brother  Thomas  Savage 
Clay,  a  member  of  Astor  Lodge,  New  York  City, 
with  his  untiring  zeal  and  activity  and  with  the  help 
of  other  brethren,  took  up  the  work  in  New  York 
with  such  success  that  in  1920  the  Grand  Lodge 
of  New  York  celebrated  November  4th,  the  Ma- 
sonic birthday  of  Washington,  the  Father  of  our 
Country. 

On  this  occasion,  a  delegation  from  Fredericks- 
burg  Lodge,  was  present  and  brought  the  Bible 
on  which  Washington  was  obligated  as  a 

Mason    and    the    old    minute    book    containing 

8 


WASHINGTON  9 

the  record  of  his  initiation,  passing  and  raising. 
A  delegation  from  St.  John's  Lodge,  New  York 
City,  brought  the  Bible  on  which  Washington 
took  the  oath  of  office  as  President  of  the  United 
States,  and  these  two  Bibles  were  placed  side  by 
side  on  the  altar  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  New  York. 

At  this  time  also  George  Washington  Lodge  of 
New  York  City  invited  the  delegation  from  Freder- 
icksburg  Lodge  to  be  their  guests  at  a  reception  in 
the  Pennsylvania  Hotel  and  Fredericksburg  Lodge 
was  presented  with  a  loving  cup  in  commemoration 
of  the  168th  anniversary  of  the  initiation  of  Wash- 
ington as  a  Mason. 

The  Grand  Lodge  of  Virginia  at  its  meeting  in 
Richmond,  in  1921,  approved  the  recommendation 
of  Grand  Master  William  G.  Gait  that  all  Lodges 
of  that  jurisdiction  commemorate  the  date  on  which 
the  "Father  of  his  Country"  first  saw  Masonic 
Light,  the  time  and  manner  of  such  celebrations  to 
be  left  to  the  discretion  of  the  subordinate  Lodges. 

In  1922,  at  the  suggestion  of  Brother  Stearns, 
Master  of  Fredericksburg  Lodge,  a  memorial  was 
presented  by  Fredericksburg  Lodge  to  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  Virginia  "to  make  November  4th  of  each 
year  a  Masonic  holiday,  requesting  all  subordinate 
Lodges  under  your  jurisdiction  suitably  to  observe 
the  same,  it  being  the  Masonic  birthday  of  Brother 


10          WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

George  Washington."     This  was  adopted  by  the 
Grand  Lodge  of  Virginia. 

In  presenting  the  minority  report  on  this 
memorial  to  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Virginia,  Brother 
John  G.  Dudley,  Master  of  Cherrydale  Lodge, 
said: 

"George  Washington's  birthday,  February  22d,  has  no 
Masonic  significance.  November  4th,  the  day  on  which 
Washington  was  made  a  Mason  in  Fredericksburg  Lodge, 
belongs  exclusively  to  Masons.  February  22d,  his  nat- 
ural birthday,  belongs  to  the  nation  as  a  nation. 

"Masons  throughout  the  English-speaking  world,  and 
more  particularly  in  the  United  States  of  America,  should 
know  the  great  part  that  Masons  played  in  making  Amer- 
ica; that  the  great  men  who  made  this  nation  were  Ma- 
sons, that  American  democracy  was  born  in  the  Masonic 
Lodge. 

*The  great  problems  of  America  at  the  present  time  is 
the  making  of  American  citizens  out  of  our  large  and 
increasing  number  of  immigrants  and  their  offspring. 
The  Masonic  Lodge  must  take  the  lead  in  this  great  and 
patriotic  work,  and  this  can  be  done  in  no  better  way 
than  by  making  November  4th  a  Masonic  national  holi- 
day in  which  the  great  and  controlling  part  Masonry 
played  in  making  Washington  what  he  was,  is  portrayed, 
and  fittingly  as  well  as  appropriately  remembered  and 
celebrated  by  Masons. 

"We  cannot  know  too  much  about  Washington  the 
Mason,  and  Washington  the  man.  George  Washington  is 
the  apotheosis  of  all  that  is  Masonic  and  all  that  is 


AMERICAN  MASON  11 

patriotic  in  America.  For  the  foregoing  reasons,  and 
many  others  that  could  be  adduced,  I  heartily  recommend 
the  adoption  of  November  4th  as  a  Masonic  holiday  in 
Virginia,  and  that  other  Grand  Masonic  Jurisdictions  be 
asked  to  do  likewise." 

At  the  present  writing,  the  Grand  Lodges  of  Vir- 
ginia, New  Jersey  and  Oklahoma  have  adopted  No- 
vember 4th  as  a  Masonic  holiday,  a  fact  which  will 
play  a  great  part  in  the  Americanizing  movement 
which  was  begun  by  the  Masons  of  Virginia  and 
New  York  in  1920.  Virginia  Masons  have  only 
one  regret,  and  that  is  that  Oklahoma  was  the  first 
to  make  November  4th  a  Masonic  holiday.  Vir- 
ginia joins  Oklahoma,  New  Jersey  and  New  York 
in  saying  to  the  other  Grand  Jurisdictions  of 
America:  "Let  the  good  work  of  making  100  per 
cent  Americans  go  on." 


PART  I 
THE  MASONIC  CAREER  OF  WASHINGTON 


WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT  AMERICAN 
MASON 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON,  the  great  American 
Mason,  embodied  in  his  life  and  character 
the  ideals  of  a  great  and  free  people.  He  was 
a  concrete  example  of  the  law  that  nations  incarnate 
their  culture,  civilization,  and  ideals  in  their 
greatest  citizens,  as  Rome  did  in  Caesar,  a  soldier 
and  statesman;  Athens  in  Socrates,  a  philosopher 
and  patriot;  and  America  in  Washington,  "first  in 
war,  first  in  peace,  and  first  in  the  hearts  of  his 
countrymen." 

Shall  the  name  of  Washington  ever  be  heard 
By  a  freeman  and  thrill  not  his  breast? 

Is  there  one  out  of  bondage  that  hails  not  the  word 
As  the  Bethlehem  star  of  the  West? 

In  Masonry  all  men  meet  upon  the  level,  and 

deem  the  son  of  the  prince  no  better  than  the  son 

12 


WASHINGTON  13 

of  the  peasant,  unless  he  has  personal  qualities  that 
make  him  preeminent.  That  Washington,  the 
statesman,  the  soldier  and  Mason,  possessed  these 
qualities  is  accepted  by  all  that  have  an  eye  to  see, 
a  heart  to  feel,  and  a  mind  to  understand.  To  look 
upon  such  a  character  is  an  inspiration  to  us  today, 
and  his  career  is  prophetic  of  greater  achievements 
in  the  sphere  of  human  energy  and  moral  en- 
deavor. 

The  Masonic  Lodge  is  the  only  place  in  the 
world  where  the  restraints  of  rank  and  official  posi- 
tion can  be  thrown  aside,  and  men  meet  on  perfect 
equality.  In  the  Lodge  at  Fredericksburg,  during 
the  World  War,  the  Colonel  of  a  regiment  of  the 
Marines  and  a  private  were  initiated  at  the  same 
time.  When  the  private  found  himself  in  the  pres- 
ence of  his  Colonel,  he  clicked  his  heels  together 
and  saluted  his  Colonel.  He  was  told  that  he  could 
not  do  that  in  a  Masonic  Lodge,  for  in  the  Lodge  no 
official  rank  or  position  is  recognized.  In  the 
Lodge  he  and  his  officers,  even  the  Commanding 
General  of  the  Army,  meet  simply  as  men.  This 
is  why  Masonry  appeals  so  powerfully  to  such  men 
as  Roosevelt.  In  the  Lodge  at  Oyster  Bay  he  met 
the  gardener  of  an  estate  adjoining  his  own  in  the 
freest  social  intercourse;  the  only  place  where  he, 
President  of  the  United  States,  could  enjoy  such  in- 


14  WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

formality  without  embarrassment,  and  misunder- 
standing and  misinterpretation  by  the  public. 

The  name  of  Washington  is  cherished  not  only 
in  the  history  of  the  nation,  but  of  mankind.  His 
work,  after  the  passing  of  years,  is  a  potent  force 
for  the  enrichment  of  humanity  and  the  enlarge- 
ment of  political  freedom.  His  influence  is  the 
property  of  the  world,  the  legacy  of  all  those  who 
love  liberty  or  who  are  struggling  to  attain  the 
birthright  of  independence  and  broader  citizenship. 

But  his  fame  is  the  sacred  trust  of  Masonry. 
His  name  is  inscribed  on  our  imperishable  records ; 
it  is  written  in  letters  of  gold  on  our  Royal  Arch, 
and  has  been  dowered  and  knighted  with  the  endur- 
ing title  of  Brother  and  Companion. 

In  youth  he  trod  the  tessellated  floor  of  the 
Temple  and  passed  beyond  the  veils  for  further 
light;  in  maturer  age  he  acknowledged  the  high 
relationship;  and,  in  the  strength  and  decline  of 
years,  he  deemed  it  an  honor  to  take  part  in  the 
moral  enterprise  and  solemnities  of  our  society. 
Our  fraternity  was  to  Washington  a  kindly  refuge. 
He  sought  its  calm  retreat  amid  the  anxieties  and 
responsibilities  of  war  and  the  administrations  of 
government.  Its  ministries  of  peace  and  brother- 
hood brought  tranquillity  to  his  troubled  spirit, 
and  lightened  the  burdens  that  weighed  him  down. 


AMERICAN  MASON  15 

There  was  the  Temple  towards  which  he  ever  turned 
and  through  whose  opened  veils  there  came  a  light 
to  guide  and  a  voice  to  hush  discordant  forces  into 
the  harmony  of  repose. 

But  beside  the  Temple  of  Peace  there  was  also 
the  Temple  of  Work.  If  he  wielded  the  mallet  to 
guide  and  control,  he  used  the  trowel  to  build  up 
and  cement  the  carved  stones  of  the  fair  structure. 

On  the  field  where  the  battle  was  fought,  he 
raised  a  Lodge,  a  veritable  tabernacle  in  the  wilder- 
ness, to  show  that  peace  was  the  issue  that  he 
sought.  And  when  the  long  war  was  ended,  and 
peace  had  come  to  the  land  and  the  waves  of  human 
passion  had  stilled  into  calm,  he  was  Washington, 
the  Brother  in  Masonry,  no  less  than  Washington, 
the  Patriot  and  Soldier. 

Sleeping  under  the  shadow  of  a  century,  he  is 
not  dead,  but  walks  a  power  through  the  land  to 
inspire  a  higher  patriotism,  to  call  citizens  to  a 
truer  life  and  the  people  in  one  hope,  in  one 
destiny,  and  in  the  moral  grandeur  which  shall 
make  our  nation  endure  until  nations  shall  blend 
in  the  kingdom  of  God  which  is  immortal. 

He  is  not  dead,  whose  glorious  mind 

Lifts  thine  on  high; 
To  live  in  hearts  we  leave  behind 

Is  not  to  die. 


16  WASHINGTON 

As  Washington  was  to  our  fathers,  so  may  he  be 
to  our  children,  and  to  our  children's  children,  an 
inspiration  to  patriotism,  loyalty,  and  nobility  of 
character,  to  higher  thoughts  and  aims,  to  a  fervent 
renewal  of  our  obligations,  and  the  inculcation  of 
the  teachings  and  practice  of  the  cardinal  virtues 
and  tenets  of  our  profession  as  Masons.  When  the 
memory  of  that  light  shall  fail,  then,  indeed,  may 
we  fear  for  the  strength  of  our  Institution,  and 
that  our  liberties  are  indeed  endangered.  As  was 
said  of  William  the  Silent,  Washington  "lived,  the 
faithful  ruler  of  a  brave  people,  and  when  he  died, 
the  children  cried  in  the  streets."  Nature  kindly 
ordained  that  the  name  of  Washington  should  not 
be  sullied  by  descendants,  "Heaven  left  him  child- 
less that  all  the  nation  might  call  him  father." 


WASHINGTON'S  INITIATION,  PASSING,  AND 
RAISING 

ON  Saturday  evening,  November  4th,  1752,  in 
the  little  village  of  Fredericksburg,  in  Eng- 
land's ancient  and  loyal  Colony  and  Dominion  of 
Virginia,  at  a  regular  meeting  of  "the  Lodge  at 
Fredericksburg,"  held  in  its  lodge-room,  in  the 
second  story  of  the  Market  House,  Major  George 
Washington  was  made  an  Entered  Apprentice 
Mason.  We  cannot  tell  who  were  the  recommend- 
ers,  or  the  committee  of  enquiry,  but  George 
Washington  was  the  first  person  to  be  initiated  in 
"the  Lodge  at  Fredericksburg." 

The  Market-House,  long  since  torn  down,  which 
then  stood  on  Main  (or  Caroline)  street  and  the 
present  Market  Alley,  was  of  brick,  the  under  part 
being  used  as  a  market,  the  upper  part  being  given 
up  to  rooms  for  the  officials  and  to  two  larger 
rooms,  one  of  which  was  rented  by  the  Craft  for 
a  lodge-room,  the  other  being  used  for  balls  and 
entertainments. 

In  the  ledger  which  is  now  bound  with  the  min- 
ute-book, under  the  date  of  the  following  Monday, 

17 


18  WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

is  the  entry:  "November  6,  1752,  Received  from 
Mr.  George  Washington  for  his  entrance  £2,  3s." 

In  the  minutes  of  "3rd  March,  1753,"  the  sole 
entry  is  "George  Washington  passed  a  Fellow 
Craft." 

The  minutes  of  "4th  August,  1753,  Which  Day 
the  Lodge  being  Assembled  present  eight  officers 
and  members"  (the  names  being  given)  read:  "The 
transactions  of  the  evening  are  George  Washington 
raised  a  Master  Mason.  Thomas  James  Ent'd  an 
Apprentice." 

Had  the  Lodge  at  Fredericksburg  known  how 
deep  an  interest  would  be  felt  by  succeeding  gen- 
erations in  all  that  pertained  to  Washington,  his 
Masonic  record,  even  at  that  period,  would  prob- 
ably have  been  made  with  more  fullness  of  detail. 
However,  the  lessons  of  history  are  progressive,  and 
none  could  have  known,  as  he  passed  through  the 
mystic  rites  of  Masonry  in  1752,  in  the  presence  of 
that  chosen  band  of  brethren  in  Fredericksburg 
Lodge,  that  the  new-made  brother  then  before  them 
would  win  in  after-years  a  nation's  honor,  grati- 
tude, and  love,  and  that  after  a  century  had  passed 
the  anniversary  of  his  initiation  would  be  cele- 
brated as  a  national  Masonic  jubilee. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  Washington  was  made  an 
Entered  Apprentice  Mason  more  than  three  months 


AMERICAN  MASON  19 

before  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  but  there 
was  nothing  irregular  in  this.  The  requirements 
in  the  Old  Charges  (as  printed  in  the  Constitution 
of  1723)  are  that  the  candidate  shall  be  "of  mature 
age,"  and  most  of  us  would  be  inclined  to  think 
that  the  tall,  athletic  Adjutant-General,  six  feet  two 
inches  in  height,  "straight  as  an  Indian,"  and,  if  * 
tradition  be  true,  the  only  man  who  ever  threw  a 
silver  dollar  across  the  Rappahannock  at  Freder- 
icksburg,  was  of  "mature  age"  in  1752. 

It  must  be  remembered,  however,  that  the  age 
which  was  regarded  as  "mature"  has  varied  in  dif- 
ferent countries  at  different  times. 

In  England,  for  some  years  prior  to  1717,  this 
age  was  "one  and  twenty."  From  the  organization 
in  1717  of  the  Premier  Grand  Lodge,  afterwards 
designated  as  "Modern,"  until  1767  the  age  was 
twenty-five;  while  under  the  "Ancient"  Grand 
Lodge  from  its  organization  in  1751  the  age  was 
twenty-five  until  the  union  in  1813,  when  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  "Moderns"  was  absorbed  by  the  vastly 
greater  body  of  the  "Ancients."  At  this  time,  as 
has  been  well  said  by  an  eminent  Irish  Masonic 
scholar,  Brother  W.  J.  Chetwode  Crawley,  LL.D., 
"almost  the  only  concession  made  by  the  'Ancients' 
was  the  adoption  of  twenty-one  years  in  place  of 
twenty-five;  and  this  concession,  trivial  as  it  was, 


20          WASHINGTON.  THE  GREAT 

it  is  suspected  would  not  have  been  made,  had  not 
the  age  limit  of  twenty-five  years  been  found  in 
practice  inconveniently  high." 

In  Scotland  from  ancient  times  down  to  1891,  the 
age  of  entering  was  eighteen,  and  when,  in  1891, 
the  age  was  raised  to  twenty-one,  the  ancient  rule 
was  retained  for  the  sons  of  Freemasons.  The  old- 
est Lodge  in  Scotland,  and  in  the  world  for  that 
matter,  the  Lodge  of  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  made  a 
rule  in  January  30, 1683,  at  a  time  indeed  when  the 
"Operatives"  predominated,  that  no  one  under  the 
age  of  twenty-one  should  be  advanced  to  be  a 
Fellowcraft  or  Master  Mason.  There  was  a  law 
in  Louisiana  before  the  present  Grand  Lodge  was 
established,  and  at  a  time  when  the  French  influ- 
ence prevailed  (it  is  well  known  that  in  the 
eighteenth  century  French  and  Scottish  Masonry 
were  closely  connected),  that  the  son  of  a  Free- 
mason might  be  entered  at  the  age  of  eighteen. 

It  is  quite  probable  that  "the  Lodge  at  Freder- 
icksburg"  was  originally  constituted  under  Scottish 
regulations,  as  many  of  the  Fredericksburg  breth- 
ren were  of  Scotch  extraction,  and  as  in  1758, 
Daniel  Campbell,  Master  of  the  Lodge  at  the  time 
of  Washington's  initiation,  obtained  "an  ample 
charter"  from  the  Grand  Lodge  at  Edinburgh. 
Further  evidence  that  the  Scottish  regulations  as  to 


AMERICAN  MASON  21 

age  were  enforced  in  the  early  years  of  "the  Lodge 
at  Fredericksburg,"  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  it  was 
not  until  November  25,  1769,  that  the  Lodge  fixed 
twenty-one  as  the  required  age  for  initiation. 

It  should  be  noted  that  although  Washington  was 
entered  in  November,  he  was  not  crafted  until 
March  3d,  the  first  meeting  after  he  was  twenty- 
one.  The  Scottish  regulation  would  fully  explain 
the  delay  in  Washington's  advancement,  and  dis- 
pose of  the  suggestion  that  the  delay  was  caused  by 
a  "lack  of  money,"  a  suggestion  utterly  lacking  in 
probability  when  Washington's  finances,  as  shown 
by  his  ledger  now  in  the  Department  of  State,  are 
considered.  A  few  days  after  he  was  initiated  he 
received  £55  from  the  sale  of  some  "lotts." 

The  delay  in  taking  the  second  and  third  degrees 
is  likewise  easily  understood  when  Washington's 
place  of  residence,  forty-five  miles  away,  and  his 
military  and  professional  engagements  are  consid- 
ered. 

However,  whether  of  Scottish  constitution  or  not, 
that  it  was  in  accord  with  the  regulations  in  this 
country,  at  least  in  Pennsylvania,  that  a  man  might 
be  initiated  before  he  was  twenty-one,  is  shown  con- 
clusively by  two  footnotes  in  Ahiman  Rezon  first 
issued  by  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Pennsylvania,  in 
1783  one  note  providing  that  "no  person  be  made 


22  WASHINGTON 

in  the  future  under  the  age  of  twenty-one,"  and 
repealing  the  other  note,  which  stated  that  twenty- 
one  "was  a  proper  rule  for  general  observation, 
before  a  person  can  be  advanced  to  the  sublime  de- 
gree of  a  Master  Mason." 

Just  when  twenty-one  became  the  "mature  age" 
in  Pennsylvania  we  cannot  say.  In  Franklin's  re- 
print of  the  Constitution  of  1723,  published  in 
1724  in  Philadelphia,  (the  first  Masonic  book  pub- 
lished in  America),  no  change  from  twenty-five  to 
twenty-one  appears;  and  it  is  an  interesting  fact 
that  Franklin  himself  had  just  passed  his  twenty- 
fifth  birthday,  in  the  month  before  he  was  entered 
in  St.  John's  Lodge  in  Philadelphia. 

So  late  as  March  6,  1822,  it  seemed  to  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  New  York  necessary,  and  it  accordingly 
was 

"Ordered,  That  that  part  of  the  Book  of  Constitutions 
which  relates  to  the  qualifications  of  candidates  for  init- 
iation into  the  mysteries  of  Masonry,  shall  be  so  con- 
strued, as  that  no  person  shall  be  entered  in  any  Lodge 
under  this  jurisdiction  who  shall  not  have  attained  the 
age  of  twenty-one  years." 

It  is,  therefore,  clear  that  there  was  no  irregular- 
ity whatsoever  in  Washington's  initiation  before  he 
was  twenty-one  years  old. 


THE  MASONIC  CAREER  OF  WASHINGTON 

THE  introduction  of  Freemasonry  to  America 
and  the  birth  of  George  Washington  (Febru- 
ary 22,  1732)  were  nearly  contemporaneous. 

On  June  5,  1730,  Brother  Daniel  Coxe  was  ap- 
pointed, by  deputation  from  the  Duke  of  Norfolk, 
Grand  Master  of  England,  the  first  Provincial 
Grand  Master  of  New  York,  New  Jersey  and  Penn- 
sylvania; and  the  year  following,  the  earliest 
known  Lodge  in  America — that  meeting  at  the 
"Tun"  or  "Sun"  Tavern  in  Water  Street,  Philadel- 
phia— received  its  warrant  or  charter  of  constitu- 
tion. The  Master  of  this  Lodge,  in  1734,  was  Ben- 
jamin Franklin.  Thus  the  "City  of  Brotherly- 
Love,"  where  Washington  afterward  presided  as 
President  and  performed  some  of  the  most  notable 
acts  of  his  Masonic  life,  was  the  home  of  the  first 
lodge,  of  which  we  have  authentic  record. 

FIRST  MISSION  AFTER  HE  WAS  MADE  A  MASON 

Soon  after  Washington  was  made  a  Master 
Mason,  he  was  employed  in  important  public  duties 

by  the  governor  of  Virginia.     Political  considera- 

23 


24  WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

tions  required  that  a  messenger  be  sent  to  the 
French  military  posts  on  the  Ohio,  to  demand  that 
the  French  depart  and  cease  to  intrude  on  claimed 
English  domain.  It  was  late  in  the  autumn,  and 
the  difficulties  of  the  season,  and  the  hazardous 
undertaking  of  encountering  not  only  the  French, 
but  hostile  Indians,  were  sufficient  to  try  the  forti- 
tude of  the  boldest  adventurer.  Washington's 
reply,  when  solicitated  by  the  Governor  to  under- 
take the  commission,  was:  "For  my  own  part,  I 
can  answer  that  I  have  a  constitution  hardy  enough 
to  encounter  and  undergo  the  most  severe  toils,  and, 
I  flatter  myself,  resolution  to  face  what  any  man 
dares."  Nobly  spoken!  And  yet  it  was  but  the 
reflection  of  a  Masonic  lesson  he  had  learned  on 
his  admission  to  Masonry  but  one  year  before. 
What  lesson  learned  in  Masonry  was  ever  by  him 
forgotten  or  unheeded? 

Tradition,  which  no  Masonic  records  of  that 
period  now  existing  either  verify  or  contradict, 
states  that  Washington  and  his  Masonic  brethren 
held  military  Lodges  during  the  old  French  War; 
and  there  is  a  cave  near  Charlestown  in  West  Vir- 
ginia, a  few  miles  from  Winchester,  where  his 
headquarters  for  two  years  were  located,  which  to 
this  day  is  called  Washington  s  Masonic  Cave.  It 
is  divided  into  several  apartments,  one  of  which  is 


AMERICAN  MASON  25 

called  The  Lodge  Room.  Tradition  says  that 
Washington  and  his  Masonic  brethren  held  Lodges 
in  this  cavern.  In  the  spring  of  1844  the  Masons 
of  that  vicinity  held  a  celebration  there  to  com- 
memorate the  event. 

For  nearly  twenty-five  years  the  incidents  of 
Washington's  early  Masonic  life  are  lost  in  obscu- 
rity. There  is  a  tradition  that  he  may  have  at- 
tended the  "Lodge  of  Social  and  Military  Virtues," 
No.  227,  on  the  Register  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of 
Ireland,  during  a  visit  to  Philadelphia,  New  York 
and  Boston  in  the  winter  of  1756,  and  doubtless  he 
attended  other  Lodges,  but  the  brethren  of  that 
early  period  were  often  remiss  in  the  preservation 
of  their  records  and  the  facts  are  not  known. 

Virginia's  noblest  sons  were  Masons,  but  the 
lapse  of  time  and  the  devastation  of  war  have  left 
few  memorials  of  their  mystic  labors.  Colonial 
New  England,  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Carolina 
and  Georgia  had  at  this  period  each  their  Provin- 
cial Grand  Easts,  whose  master-workmen  history 
has  made  her  own;  and  when  along  the  pathway  of 
Masonry  in  colonial  Virginia  we  see  her  noblest 
sons  with  hand  grips  strong  and  true  greeting  breth- 
ren from  the  North,  the  East,  and  the  South,  at  the 
commencement  of  the  Revolution,  we  deeply  de- 
plore the  loss  of  records  relating  to  this  period. 


26  WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

"Brave  old  Virginia — proud  you  well  may  be, 
When  you  retrace  that  glorious  dynasty 
Of  intellectual  giants,  who  were  known 
As  much  the  nation's  children  as  your  own — 
Your  brilliant  jewels,  aye,  you  gave  them  all, 
Like  Sparta's  mother,  at  your  country's  call! 
The  Senate  knew  their  eloquence  and  power, 
And  the  red  battle  in  its  wildest  hour. 
No  matter  whence — to  glory  or  the  grave — 
They  shone  conspicuous,  bravest  of  the  brave. 
One  o'er  the  bravest  and  the  best  bore  sway — 
Bright  is  his  memory  in  our  hearts  to-day! 
His  bosom  burned  with  patriotic  fire — 
Virginia's  son  became  his  country's  sire; 
And  in  those  lofty  claims  we  proudly  vie, 
He  was  OUT  brother  of  the  Mystic  tie." 


LODGES  IN  THE  ARMY 

Washington  reached  Cambridge,  Massachusetts, 
on  the  2nd  of  July,  1775,  and  on  the  next  day 
took  command  of  the  army.  There  were  gathered 
around  him  a  band  of  men  determined  to  defend 
their  liberties.  But  the  year  closed  dark  and 
gloomy  for  the  prospects  of  the  army.  Mrs.  Wash- 
ington left  Mount  Vernon  late  in  the  fall  to  spend 
the  winter  months  at  headquarters,  and  some  of  the 
officers  were  also  joined  by  their  wives,  but  the 
other  officers  and  soldiers  had  few  pleasures  in  their 


AMERICAN  MASON  27 

winter-quarters  to  make  them  forget  the  homes 
they  had  left. 

During  the  French  and  Indian  War,  military 
Lodge  warrants  had  been  granted  hy  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  Massachusetts  to  the  brethren  in  the  army; 
and  at  the  close  of  their  wearisome  marches,  and 
in  their  cheerless  camps,  the  Masonic  Lodge-room 
became  a  bivouac  in  the  tired  soldier's  life,  where 
his  toils  and  privations  were  forgotten,  and  the 
finest  feelings  of  his  heart  were  cultivated.  While 
the  Connecticut  line  of  the  army  were  encamped 
during  this  winter  at  Roxbury,  near  Boston,  a  move- 
ment was  made  by  the  brethren  in  it,  early  in  Febru- 
ary, to  establish  a  Masonic  Lodge  in  their  camp. 
For  this  purpose  they  applied  to  the  Grand  Lodge 
of  Massachusetts,  of  which  John  Rowe  was  Grand 
Master,  and  Colonel  Richard  Gridley  his  Deputy, 
for  the  necessary  authority.  This  petition  was 
granted. 

This  Lodge  was  called  the  American  Union 
Lodge,  and  was  one  of  the  most  famous  army 
Lodges  during  the  American  Revolution.  Both  its 
name  and  the  device  on  its  seal  were  significant  of 
the  aid  lent  by  Masonry  in  the  hour  of  our  country's 
need.  Both  were  expressive  of  the  great  sentiment 
which  then  pervaded  the  American  heart.  If  lib- 
erty was  its  keynote,  union  was  its  watchword.  The 


28  WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

union  of  the  Anglo-American  colonies  for  mutual 
defense  had  been  proposed  in  1741,  by  Daniel  Coxe 
of  New  Jersey,  the  first  Provincial  Grand  Master 
of  America.  It  had  again  been  advocated  in  1754 
by  Dr.  Franklin,  Provincial  Grand  Master  of  Penn- 
sylvania, who  also  symbolized  the  idea  at  the  close 
of  an  essay,  which  he  published  on  this  subject,  by 
a  wood-cut  representing  a  snake  divided  into  parts, 
with  the  initial  letter  of  each  colony  on  a  separate 
part,  underneath  which  he  placed  the  motto,  "JOIN 

OR  DIE." 

The  purposes  for  which  both  Coxe  and  Franklin 
had  unsuccessfully  advocated  a  federal  union  of 
the  colonies,  had  been  to  protect  them  against  the 
French.  When  the  Revolution  commenced,  and 
the  union  of  the  colonies  against  British  aggression 
was  urged,  many  of  the  newspapers  adopted  Frank- 
lin's device  and  motto.  When  the  union  had  been 
accomplished,  the  device  was  changed  and  a  coiled 
rattlesnake  with  its  head  erect  to  strike  was  substi- 
tuted, with  the  motto,  "DON'T  TREAD  ON  ME." 
Both  these  devices  and  mottoes  were  inscribed  on 
flags  and  other  ensigns  of  war  for  the  provincial 
troops  at  the  commencement  of  the  Revolution. 
This  device,  as  a  colonial  emblem,  was  soon  after 
changed  to  a  circle  consisting  of  a  chain  with  thir- 
teen links,  containing  in  each  an  initial  letter  of 


AMERICAN  MASON 


29 


one  of  the  thirteen  colonies.  It  was  also  placed 
upon  some  of  the  currency  of  the  colonies  as  early 
as  1776. 

The  seal  of  the 
American  Union  Lodge 
bore  the  same  popular 
American  idea  in  its 
symbolism,  having  as 
its  principal  device  a 
chain  of  thirteen  cir- 

of  American  Union  Lodgt     cular  links,  around  a 

central  part,  on  which 

was  the  square  and  compasses,  with  the  sun,  moon, 
and  a  star  above,  and  three  burning  tapers  beneath 
them,  the  extremities  of  the  chain  being  united  by 
two  clasped  hands.  For  the  leading  idea  of  the 
symbolism  of  the  chain  representing  the  union  of 
the  colonies,  the  brethren  were  probably  indebted 
to  Dr.  Franklin,  who  visited  the  American  camp 
in  1776,  as  one  of  the  committee  from  Congress  to 
confer  with  Washington  on  the  affairs  of  the  war. 
The  seal  is  supposed  to  have  been  engraved  by 
Paul  Revere,  the  distinguished  Mason  and  patriot 
of  Massachusetts,  who  was  often  employed  at  that 
period  to  engrave  such  designs. 

The  number  of  military  Lodges  rose  to  ten  dur- 
ing the  Revolution,  one  warranted  by  New  York, 


30  WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

two  by  Massachusetts  and  seven  by  Pennsylvania, 
and  the  tradition  is  well  established  that  during 
the  most  trying  periods  of  the  Revolution,  notably 
at  Valley  Forge  and  at  Newburgh,  Washington 
found  time  to  foregather  in  Lodge  on  the  level  with 
his  Masonic  brethren. 

FREEMASONRY  IN  THE  REVOLUTION 

When  Washington  arrived  at  Cambridge  to 
take  over  the  command  of  the  Continental  forces, 
July  2,  1775,  he  was  known  as  a  slave  owner,  an 
aristocrat,  and  a  Churchman.  He  had  been  passed 
over  native  generals  to  the  supreme  command 
among  a  people,  democratic,  simple,  hardworking 
and  dissenters  to  the  backbone,  who  regarded  Epis- 
copacy as  little  short  of  Papistry.  An  amusing  in- 
stance of  the  intensely  democratic  character  of  the 
Army  is  the  case  of  a  Captain  of  horse  who  was 
once  observed  shaving  a  private  on  the  parade 
ground!  The  effect  of  Freemasonry  upon  the 
democratic  sentiments  of  Washington  himself,  and 
upon  the  attitude  of  the  Army  in  loyally  accepting 
his  appointment  as  Commander-in-Chief,  affords 
grounds  for  the  most  interesting  speculations. 
The  known  facts  are  that  a  number  of  the  most 
popular  and  influential  officers  of  the  army,  in- 
cluding several  New  England  generals,  were  Ma- 


AMERICAN  MASON  31 

sons  with  whom  the  Commander-in-Chief  was  in  fra- 
ternal intercourse,  and  that  Washington  is  reputed 
to  have  sat  in  a  Lodge  at  Cambridge  of  which  an 
Orderly-Sergeant  was  Master. 

Throughout  the  Revolution  the  influence  of 
Freemasonry  was  a  decisive  one  both  in  the  halls 
of  Congress  and  upon  the  battlefield.  The  mere 
recital  of  the  names  of  statesmen  and  warriors  of 
revolutionary  fame  who  were  members  of  the  Craft, 
coupled  with  the  known  facts  concerning  Washing- 
ton's Masonic  activities,  will  suggest  to  the  student 
of  American  history  how  much  the  confidence  and 
support  of  his  Masonic  brethren  must  have  sus- 
tained the  Commander-in-Chief  during  the  darkest 
hours  of  the  Revolution. 

Among  Masonic  statesmen  occur  the  names  of 
James  Otis,  Paul  Revere,  Peyton  Randolph,  John 
Hancock,  Benjamin  Franklin,  Roger  Sherman, 
Robert  Livingston,  John  Jay,  Robert  Morris  and 
many  others. 

Among  Washington's  generals  who  were  Masons 
were  Nathaniel  Greene,  Ethan  Allen,  William 
Moultrie,  "Mad  Anthony"  Wayne,  "Lighthorse" 
Harry  Lee,  John  Stark,  Israel  Putnam,  Francis 
Marion,  John  Sullivan,  Baron  Steuben,  Lafayette 
and  many  more. 


32  WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

THE  DARKEST  PERIOD  IN  AMERICAN  MASONRY 

The  close  of  1776  was  the  darkest  period  in  the 
history  of  American  Masonry.  Every  Grand  East 
on  the  American  continent  was  shrouded  in  dark- 
ness. Massachusetts,  Virginia  and  North  Carolina 
had  each  lost  a  Grand  Master  since  the  commence- 
ment of  the  war;  the  old  Grand  Lodge  of  New 
York  was  dissolved  by  its  Grand  Master,  Sir  John 
Johnson,  fleeing  from  his  home,  and  becoming  an 
officer  in  the  British  army.  The  labors  of  the 
Grand  Lodge  of  Pennsylvania  were  suspended, 
and  their  hall  was  soon  afterwards  made  a  prison- 
room  for  citizens  who  were  disaffected  to  the 
American  cause. 

In  the  spring  of  1777  a  ray  of  light  arose  in  the 
East.  The  members  remaining  of  Dr.  Warren's 
Grand  Lodge  were  convened,  and  they  resolved, 
that  as  the  political  head  of  this  country  had 
destroyed  all  connection  between  the  States  and  the 
country  from  which  the  Grand  Lodge  derived  its 
commissioned  authority,  Great  Britain,  it  was  their 
privilege  to  assume  elective  supremacy,  and  they 
accordingly  elected  Joseph  Webb  their  Grand  Mas- 
ter. 


& 


« 

s 

c 

03 
O 


AMERICAN  MASON  33 

WASHINGTON  PROPOSED  AS  GRAND  MASTER  OF 
VIRGINIA 

Virginia,  too,  in  May  of  the  same  year,  called  a 
convention  of  its  Lodges,  and  this  body  recom- 
mended George  Washington  to  its  constituents  as 
the  most  proper  person  to  be  elected  the  first  inde- 
pendent Grand  Master  of  Virginia.  Washington 
at  that  time  had  no  official  position  in  Masonry,  and 
he  modestly  declined  the  intended  honor,  when  in- 
formed of  the  wish  of  his  Virginia  brethren,  for 
two  reasons:  first,  he  did  not  consider  it  Masonic- 
ally  legal  that  one  who  had  never  been  installed  as 
Master  or  Warden  of  a  Lodge  should  be  elected 
Grand  Master;  second,  his  country  claimed  at  the 
time  all  his  services  in  the  tented  field.  John 
Blair,  the  Master  of  Williamsburg  Lodge,  who  was 
an  eminent  citizen  of  Virginia,  was  therefore  elect- 
ed in  his  stead.  The  present  jewel  of  the  Grand 
Master  of  Virginia  was  made  for  Washington,  and 
has  been  worn  ever  since  by  the  Grand  Masters  of 
Virginia. 

THE   FIRST   DEDICATION   TO   WASHINGTON 

The  British  troops  evacuated  Philadelphia  and 
the  campaign  of  1778  closed  with  the  contending 
armies  in  nearly  the  same  position  as  they  were  in 
the  summer  of  1776.  In  the  latter  part  of  Decem- 


34  WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

her,  Washington  visited  Philadelphia,  where  Con- 
gress was  in  session;  and  while  there  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  Pennsylvania  celebrated  the  festival  of 
St.  John  the  Evangelist.  Washington  was  present 
on  the  occasion,  and  was  honored  with  the  chief 
place  in  the  procession,  being  supported  on  his 
right  by  the  Grand  Master,  and  on  his  left  by  the 
Deputy  Grand  Master.  More  than  three  hundred 
brethren  joined  in  the  procession.  They  met  at 
nine  o'clock,  at  the  college,  and  being  properly 
clothed,  the  officers  in  the  jewels  of  their  office  and 
other  badges  of  their  dignity,  the  procession  moved 
at  eleven  o'clock  and  proceeded  to  Christ  Church 
where  a  Masonic  sermon  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor 
was  preached  by  the  Rev.  Brother  William  Smith, 
D.D.,  Grand  Secretary  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Penn- 
sylvania. In  it  he  beautifully  alluded  to  Washing- 
ton, who  was  present,  as  the  Cincinnatus  of  Amer- 
ica; saying  also,  "Such,  too,  if  we  divine  aright, 
will  future  ages  pronounce  the  character  of  a  .  .  . ; 
but  you  will  anticipate  me  in  a  name,  which  deli- 
cacy forbids  me  on  this  occasion  to  mention.  Hon- 
ored with  his  presence  as  a  brother,  you  will  seek 
to  derive  virtue  from  his  example." 

This  sermon  by  Dr.  Smith  was  published  soon 
after  by  direction  of  the  Grand  Lodge  and  the 
profits  arising  from  its  sale  were  given  to  the  poor. 


AMERICAN  MASON  35 

More  than  four  hundred  pounds  were  collected  for 
the  relief  of  the  poor,  and  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Penn- 
sylvania was  made  on  this  occasion  the  almoner  of 
Washington's  bounty. 

An  ode  commemorative  of  Washington's  partic- 
ipation in  the  ceremonies,  and  the  position  he  occu- 
pied, was  written  a  few  months  afterwards  by 
Colonel  John  Park,  a  distinguished  member  of 
American  Union  Lodge,  addressed  to  Colonel  Proc- 
tor, of  Pennsylvania,  bearing  date,  February  7, 
1779,  in  which  he  says: 

See  Washington,  he  leads  the  train, 
Tis  he  commands  the  grateful  strain ; 
See,  every  crafted  son  obeys, 
And  to  the  godlike  brother  homage  pays. 

Let  fame  resound  him  through  the  land, 
And  echo,  Tis  our  Master  Grand! 

Tis  he  our  ancient  craft  shall  sway, 
Whilst  we,  with  three  times  three,  obey. 


THE  ATTEMPT  TO  ELECT  WASHINGTON 

GRAND    MASTER    OF   THE 

UNITED    STATES 

AT  the  close  of  1779,  Washington's  headquar- 
ters were  again  at  Morristown,  New  Jersey, 
where  they  had  been  during  the  winter  of  1776-77. 
Here  the  American  Union  Lodge  was  again  at  work, 
and  also  other  military  Lodges,  which  had  been 
organized  in  the  American  army. 

At  a  meeting  of  this  Lodge,  held  on  the  15th  of 
December,  its  records  show  that  its  Master,  Major 
Jonathan  Hart,  was  appointed  one  of  a  joint  com- 
mittee from  the  various  military  Lodges  in  the 
army  "to  take  into  consideration  some  matters  for 
the  good  of  Masonry."  At  the  festival  on  the  27th, 
"a  petition  was  read,  representing  the  present  state 
of  Freemasonry  to  the  several  Deputy  Grand  Mas- 
ters in  the  United  States  of  America,  desiring  them 
to  adopt  some  measures  for  appointing  a  Grand 
Master  over  said  States." 

The  events  we  are  now  sketching  are  of  great  im- 
terest,  not  only  to  the  Masonic  history  of  Washing- 
ton, but  also  of  the  Masonic  history  of  our  country. 

36 


WASHINGTON  37 

An  emergent  meeting  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Penn- 
sylvania convened  at  Philadelphia,  on  the  13th  of 
January,  1780,  to  consider  the  propriety  of  ap- 
pointing a  Grand  Master  over  all  the  Grand  Lodges 
formed  or  to  be  formed  in  the  United  States,  and 
its  records  show  that: 

"The  ballot  was  put  upon  the  question  whether  it  be 
for  the  benefit  of  Masonry,  that  a  Grand  Master  of  Ma- 
sons throughout  the  United  States  shall  now  be  nominated 
on  the  part  of  this  Grand  Lodge;  and  it  was  unanimously 
determined  in  the  affirmative.  .  .  .  His  Excellency, 
George  Washington,  Esq.,  General  and  Commander-in- 
chief  of  the  Army  of  the  United  States,  being  first  in 
nomination,  he  was  balloted  for  as  Grand  Master,  and 
elected  by  the  unanimous  vote  of  the  whole  lodge." 

The  Grand  Lodge  of  Massachusetts  having  sub- 
mitted the  consideration  of  the  matter  to  her  sub- 
ordinates, one  of  her  subordinate  Lodges  at  Ma- 
chias,  Maine,  passed  resolutions  favorable  to  the 
movement.  The  Grand  Lodge  of  Massachusetts, 
however,  having  more  fully  considered  the  subject, 
thought  the  election  of  a  General  Grand  Master  of 
the  United  States  premature  and  inexpedient. 

This  correspondence  with  the  Grand  Lodge  of 
Massachusetts  was  the  last  effort  made  by  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  Pennsylvania  to  establish  a  General  Amer- 
ican head  over  all  the  Lodges  in  this  country;  and 
in  later  times,  when  the  project  was  advocated  by 


38  WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

other  grand  bodies,  her  voice  was  invariably  against 
it. 

From  the  action  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Penn- 
sylvania in  1780  undoubtedly  arose  the  wide- 
spread appellation  of  the  title  of  General  Grand 
Master  for  Washington,  an  historical  error.  There 
is  no  doubt  that  in  the  minds  of  all  his  Masonic 


Washington  Masonic  Medal,  1797. 

compeers  after  the  independence  of  the  country 
was  attained,  he  was  justly  regarded  as  the  GREAT 

PATRON  OF  THE  FRATERNITY  IN  AMERICA,  and  this 

veneration  led  many  to  believe  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  and  long  after,  that  he  had  held  official  rank 

as  GENERAL  GRAND  MASTER. 

This  illusion  was  also  perpetuated  by  a  Masonic 
medal,  struck  in  1797,  having  on  one  side 
the  bust  of  Washington  in  military  dress,  and  the 
legend,  "G.  WASHINGTON^  PRESIDENT,  1797."  On 


AMERICAN  MASON  39 

the  other  side  were  the  emblems  of  Masonry,  sur- 
rounded by  the  inscription,  Amor,  Honor,  Et  Jus- 
ticia,  and  the  initials,  "G.  W.,  G.  G.  M." 

Although  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Pennsylvania  did 


Arms  of  the  Freemasons. 

not  succeed  in  creating  a  General  Grand  Mastership 
and  elevating  Washington  to  that  office,  as  was  its 
desire,  and  also  that  of  the  military  Lodges  of  the 
Army,  from  whom  the  proposition  first  sprang, 
yet  that  grand  body  still  continued  to  regard  him  as 
first  among  American  Masons. 


40  WASHINGTON 

THE  NEWBURGH  ADDRESS 

A  striking  instance  of  the  influence  of  Washing- 
ton as  a  man  and  a  Mason  occurred  at  Newburgh 
where  the  army  was  quartered  in  the  interval  be- 
tween the  capture  of  Yorktown  and  the  evacuation 
by  the  British  of  New  York.  A  rumor  had  gained 
credence  that  Congress  intended  to  disband  the 
army  without  pay.  The  spirit  of  mutiny  was  rife 
and  an  anonymous  circular  was  issued  calling  a 
meeting  of  officers  to  consider  their  refusal  to  lay 
down  their  arms.  By  previous  arrangement  with 
loyal  officers,  Washington  caused  to  be  elected  as 
chairman,  Gates,  one  of  the  ringleaders  of  this 
meeting,  thus  keeping  him  off  the  floor.  The  meet- 
ing was  called  in  a  log  building  which  had  been 
erected  as  a  Masonic  Temple  and  in  which  Wash- 
ington had  sat  in  Lodge  with  many  of  the  officers 
present.  He  attended  the  meeting  in  person  and 
delivered  an  address  advising  prudence  and  mod- 
eration and,  by  his  counsels,  in  the  opinion  of  his- 
torians, quelled  an  incipient  rebellion,  which,  had 
it  broken  out,  might  have  had  the  gravest  conse- 
quences. 

On  September  22, 1782,  as  shown  by  the  original 
records,  now  in  possession  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of 
New  York,  Washington  was  a  visitor  at  Solomon's 
Lodge  No.  1,  at  Poughkeepsie. 


AFTER  THE  REVOLUTION 

THE  close  of  the  Revolution,  and  the  time  for 
the  disbanding  of  the  army  having  drawn 
near  and  no  definite  action  having  been  taken  by 
the  Masonic  fraternity  either  in  the  army  or  in  the 
country  at  large,  to  constitute  Washington  as  the 
head  of  all  Masons,  the  affectionate  regard  of  the 
officers  for  their  commander  and  for  each  other  led 
them  to  form  an  association  among  themselves, 
having  the  social  features  of  the  Masonic  institu- 
tion as  its  leading  principle. 

THE  SOCIETY  OF  THE  CINCINNATI 

The  idea  of  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati  is  said 
to  have  originated  with  General  Knox  who  com- 
municated his  plan  to  Baron  SteuLen.  It  was  de- 
signed by  inculcating  benevolence  and  mutual  relief 
to  perpetuate  the  friendships  of  the  officers  of  the 
army,  and  their  descendants,  and  to  incite  in  their 
minds  the  most  exalted  patriotism.  At  a  general 
meeting  of  the  officers  on  the  13th  of  May,  1783, 
with  the  approbation  of  Washington,  they  instituted 

41 


42          WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

the  "Society  of  the  Cincinnati,"  and  he  became  its 
first  president  and  continued  to  hold  the  office  until 
his  death. 

On  June  24,  1784,  at  a  banquet  held  at  Wise's 
Tavern,  then  the  meeting  place  of  Alexandria  Lodge 
No.  39,  Pennsylvania  register,  he  accepted  honor- 
ary membership  in  that  Lodge,  thereby  becoming 
a  Pennsylvania  Mason. 

In  August,  1784,  Lafayette  visited  Washington 
at  Mount  Vernon  and  there  presented  to  him  a  Ma- 
sonic apron  of  white  satin,  embroidered  in  colored 
silks  with  various  Masonic  emblems  by  Mme.  La- 
fayette. This  apron  is  now  preserved  in  the  mu- 
seum of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Pennsylvania. 

From  1783—84  as  shown  by  the  minutes  of 
Alexandria  Lodge  No.  39,  Washington  attended 
numerous  meetings. 

In  1785,  the  Grand  Lodge  of  New  York  formed 
for  itself  a  new  Book  of  Constitutions  which  was 
dedicated  to  Washington  as  follows: 

"To  His  Excellency  George  Washington,  Esq.: 
"In  testimony,  as  well  of  his  exalted  services  to  his 
country,  as  of  his  distinguished  character  as  a  Mason, 
the  following  Book  of  Constitutions  of  the  ancient  and 
honorable  Fraternity  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  by 
order,  and  in  behalf  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  State  of 
New  York,  is  dedicated." 


AMERICAN  MASON  43 

WASHINGTON  MASTER  OF  ALEXANDRIA  LODGE  NO.  22 

The  records  of  Alexandria  Lodge  No.  22,  under 
the  date  of  November  22,  1788,  contain  the  copy 
of  the  following  letter: 

"The  brethren  of  Lodge  No.  39,  Ancient  York  Masons, 
were  congregated,  and  have  hitherto  wrought  under  a 
warrant  from  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Pennsylvania,  who 
having  since  the  Revolution  declared  themselves  inde- 
pendent of  any  foreign  jurisdiction,  and  also  notified  us 
that  it  was  necessary  that  we  should  renew  our  warrant 
under  the  new  established  Grand  Lodge;  the  brethren 
comprising  this  Lodge,  taking  the  same  under  considera- 
tion, and  having  found  it  convenient  to  attend  the  dif- 
ferent communications  of  that  honorable  Society  in 
Philadelphia,  and  as  a  Grand  Lodge  is  established  in  our 
own  State  in  Richmond  agreeable  to  the  ancient  land- 
marks, whose  communications  we  can  with  more  ease  and 
convenience  attend,  have  at  sundry  preceding  meetings 
resolved  to  ask  your  honorable  society  for  a  new  warrant, 
which  has  already  been  communicated  to  you  by  letter, 
and  also  by  our  Brother  Hunter  personally  .  .  .  and 
pray  that  it  be  granted  to  us. 

"It  is  also  the  earnest  desire  of  the  members  of  this 
Lodge  that  our  Brother  George  Washington,  Esq.,  should 
be  named  in  the  charter  as  Master  of  the  Lodge. 

The  Grand  Lodge  of  Virginia,  in  accordance  with  this 
request,  granted  a  new  warrant  to  the  Lodge  at  Alexan- 
dria, constituting  Brother  George  Washington  its  first 
Master  under  its  new  warrant;  and  its  registry  number 


44  WASHINGTON 

was  changed  from  No.  39  of  Pennsylvania,  to  No.  22  of 
Virginia. 

In  March,  1789,  Washington  was  made  an  Hon- 
orary Member  of  Holland  Lodge,  New  York. 

On  August  17,  1790,  he  was  presented  with  an 
address  by  King  David's  Lodge,  Newport,  Rhode 
Island. 

In  1791,  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Virginia  Book  of 
Constitutions  was  dedicated  to  Washington. 

On  January  21,  1792,  he  was  presented  with  an 
address  by  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Pennsylvania,  at 
Philadelphia. 

On  November  8,  1798,  when  he  had  been  called 
from  retirement  to  accept  command,  with  the  rank 
of  Lieutenant-General,  of  a  Provisional  army  or- 
dered by  Congress  to  be  raised  by  reason  of  the 
danger  of  war  with  France,  he  was  presented  with 
an  address  by  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Maryland. 


INAUGURATED  AS  PRESIDENT 

THE  State  of  New  York  has  the  honor  of 
conferring  upon  Washington  one  of  the  most 
distinguished  Masonic  honors  he  received.  It  fur- 
nished the  Bible  and  the  Grand  Master  who  admin- 
istered to  him  the  oath  of  office  as  President  of 
the  United  States. 

Washington  left  his  home  on  the  16th  of  April, 
1789,  for  the  inauguration  at  New  York  City.  At 
Alexandria,  at  Georgetown,  at  Baltimore,  at  Phil- 
adelphia, at  Trenton,  and  at  Elizabethtown  he  was 
greeted  by  crowds  of  his  fellow  citizens,  who  pub- 
licly honored  him  by  festivities,  civic  decorations, 
and  laudatory  addresses.  Washington  wished  to 
avoid  all  ostentatious  display,  but  the  great  heart  of 
America  was  full  of  love  for  him,  and  blessings 
were  showered  upon  his  head  and  flowers  strewn 
along  his  pathway. 

These  various  public  demonstrations  are  record- 
ed on  the  pages  of  our  country's  history,  and  need 
not  be  repeated  here.  It  was  as  if  he  was  passing 

through  the  spring  fields  of  a  country  where  tender 

45 


46  WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

plants,  whose  buds  had  been  crushed  by  war,  were 
now  putting  forth  blossoms  to  hide  the  blood 
stains  left  during  the  War  of  the  Revolution. 

Washington  reached  New  York  on  the  23d  of 
April,  and  the  30th  of  the  same  month  was  the  day 
fixed  for  his  inauguration.  On  that  occasion  Gen- 


The  Bible  on  which  Washington  Took  the  Oath  of  Office, 
at  Pretident. 

eral  Jacob  Morton  was  marshal  of  the  day.  He 
was  the  Master  of  St.  John's,  the  oldest  Lodge  in 
the  city,  and  at  the  same  time  the  Grand  Secretary 
of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  New  York.  General  Morton 
brought  from  the  altar  of  his  Lodge  the  Bible  with 
its  cushion  of  crimson  velvet,  and  upon  that  sacred 
volume,  Robert  R.  Livingston,  Chancellor  of  the 
State  of  New  York  and  Grand  Master  of  its  Grand 


AMERICAN  MASON  47 

Lodge,  administered  to  Washington  his  oath  of 
office  as  President  of  the  United  States. 

Having  taken  the  oath,  Washington  reverently 
bowed  and  kissed  the  sacred  volume.  The  awful 
suspense  of  the  moment  was  broken  by  Chancellor 
Livingston  who  solemnly  said:  "Long  live  GEORGE 
WASHINGTON,  President  of  the  United  States!  A 
thousand  voices  at  once  joined  in  repeated  acclima- 
tions, LONG  LIVE  GEORGE  WASHINGTON!" 

A  memorial  leaf  of  this  Bible  was  then 
folded  at  the  page  on  which  Washington  had  de- 
voutly impressed  his  lips;  and  the  volume  was  re- 
turned to  St.  John's  Lodge  and  placed  upon  its 
altar.  A  few  years  later  it  was  again  taken 
from  its  resting  place,  and  borne  in  solemn  proces- 
sion by  the  Masonic  brethren  of  New  York  City, 
who  met  to  pay  funeral  honors  to  the  memory  of 
Washington.  It  is  still  in  possession  of  St.  John's 
Lodge  No.  1,  and  valued  highly  as  a  sacred 
memento.  The  last  time  this  Bible  on  which 
Washington  took  the  oath  of  office  as  the  first 
President  of  the  United  States  on  April  30,  1789, 
on  the  steps  of  the  Federal  Building  in  Wall  Street, 
New  York  City,  played  an  important  part  in  the 
official  life  of  the  nation  was  when  Brother  Hard- 
ing requested  that  he  be  granted  the  privilege  of 
taking  the  oath  of  office  as  President  of  the  United 


48  WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

States  on  this  same  Bible.  The  request  of  Brother 
Harding  was  granted,  and  Grand  Master  Robinson 
of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  New  York  accompanied 
the  Committee  of  St.  John's  Lodge,  consisting  of 
the  Master,  Brother  Frederick  A.  Onderdonk  and 
Past  Masters  Brothers  George  T.  Montgomery, 
George  H.  Phillips,  John  J.  Morrow  and  Charles  H. 
Hamilton,  who  were  appointed  to  escort  and  guard 
the  Bible  and  witnessed  from  a  prominent  place 
on  the  inaugural  stand  the  consummation  of 
Brother  Harding's  desire. 

On  this  famous  Bible,  that  priceless  treasure  of 
St.  John's  Lodge,  Brother  Harding  promised  and 
swore  to  defend  the  Constitution  and  fulfill  the 
great  office  of  President,  pressing  his  lips  on  that 
verse  in  the  prophecy  of  Micah  which  asks  "What 
doth  God  require  of  thee  but  to  do  justice,  to  love 
mercy  and  to  walk  humbly  before  thy  God?"  to 
which  he  referred  at  the  close  of  his  powerful 
address  with  these  inspiring  words  of  dedication 
and  consecration: 

THIS  I  PLIGHT  TO  GOD  AND  COUNTRY 

Shall  we  not  rejoice  in  the  knowledge  that  the 
Masonic  spirit  of  Brother  George  Washington  still 
lives  in  the  heart  and  dominates  the  will  and  pur- 
pose of  the  Brother  Mason  whom  his  fellow- 


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AMERICAN  MASON  49 

countrymen  have  elevated  to  the  highest  office  in 
the  land? 

The  memory  of  Washington's  oath  of  office 
taken  upon  this  Bible,  is  perpetuated  by  the  fol- 
lowing inscription,  beautifully  engrossed  and  ac- 
companied by  a  miniature  of  Washington  from  an 
engraving  by  Leney,  prepared  by  order  of  the 
Lodge.  The  closing  poetic  lines  were  written  by 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Haven,  of  Portsmouth,  New  Hamp- 
shire, on  Washington's  visit  to  thac  town  in  1789, 
in  answer  to  an  enquiry  by  what  title  he  should 
be  addressed.  The  committee  appointed  by  the 
Lodge  to  form  this  memorial  were  sworn  on  the 
same  volume  to  faithfully  perform  their  duties. 

WASHINGTON'S  LAST  VISIT  TO  HIS  MOTHER 
Before  Washington  left  Mount  Vernon  for  the 
inaugural  ceremonies  he  visited  his  mother  at  Fred- 
ericksburg  for  the  last  time.  Again  he  had  come 
to  her  to  say  that  his  country  demanded  his  services, 
but  that  when  the  public  interest  permitted  he  would 
return.  She  interrupted  him  by  saying:  "You 
will  see  my  face  no  more.  My  great  age,  and 
the  disease  that  is  approaching  my  vitals,  warns 
me  that  I  shall  not  be  long  for  this  world.  But 
go,  George,  fulfill  the  high  duties  which  heaven 
appears  to  assign  you;  go,  my  son,  and  may 


50          WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 


THIS 
VOLUME 


On  the  30th  day  of  April,  A.  M.  5789,  in  the  City 

of  New  York, 

Was  administered  to 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON 

The  first  President  of  the  United  States  of  America 

THE      OATH 

To  support  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States. 

This  important  ceremony  was  performed  by  the 

Most  Worshipful 

GRAND     MASTER 

Of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  of  the  State  of 

New  York 

ROBERT  R.  LIVINGSTON 
Chancellor  of  the  State. 

Fame  spread  her  wings,  and  loud  her  trumpet  blew : 
Great  Washington  is  near!    What  praise  his  due? 
What  title  shall  he  have?    She  paused — and  said, 
Not  one;  his  name  alone  strikes  every  title  dead! 


Washington's  Farewell  to  His  Mother 


AMERICAN  MASON  51 

heaven's  and  your  mother's  blessing  always  at- 
tend you." 

Washington  had  learned  during  his  eventful  life 
to  meet  with  composure  the  dangers  of  the  battle- 
field, the  frowns  of  adversity,  and  the  smiles  of 
fortune,  but  the  tenderness  of  his  mother's  words 
and  the  maternal  look  and  tone  with  which  the 
words  were  spoken  overcame  every  restraint  he  had 
placed  upon  his  feelings,  and  he  leaned  his  head 
upon  her  shoulder  as  if  he  were  again  a  boy,  and 
the  furrows  in  his  cheeks  were  wet  with  unwonted 
tears. 

The  words  of  his  mother  were  indeed  prophetic 
for  she  died  the  following  autumn,  and  was  buried 
in  a  spot  she  herself  had  chosen.  It  was  near  a 
romantic  ledge  of  rocks,  where  she  had  often  re- 
sorted to  pray,  and  the  sylvan  bethel  where  a 
mother's  prayers  were  offered  for  Washington,  is 
now  hallowed  by  that  mother's  grave.  What  spot 
on  American  soil  is  more  sacred! 

LAYING   THE   CORNER-STONE   OF  THE   CAPITOL 

The  corner-stone  of  the  Capitol  of  the  United 
States  of  America,  in  the  City  of  Washington,  was 
laid  on  the  18th  day  of  September,  1793,  in  the 
Masonic  Year  5793,  in  the  thirteenth  year  of  Amer- 
ican Independence,  in  the  first  year  of  the  second 


52  WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

term  of  the  presidency  of  George  Washington, 
whose  virtues  in  the  civil  administration  of  his 
country  guided  it  through  the  storms  of  the  earliest 
years  of  our  national  life,  and  whose  military  valor 
and  prudence  established  its  independence.  The 
corner-stone  was  laid  by  the  President  of  the 
United  States,  in  concert  with  the  Grand  Lodge  of 
Maryland,  several  Lodges  under  its  jurisdiction, 
and  Lodge  No.  22,  from  Alexandria,  Virginia. 

Washington,  although  holding  at  this  time  no  offi- 
cial rank  in  Masonry,  except  that  of  Past  Master 
of  Lodge  No.  22,  at  Alexandria,  clothed  himself  for 
the  occasion  with  an  apron  and  other  insignia  of  a 
Mason,  and  was  honored  with  the  chief  place  in 
the  procession  and  ceremonies.  The  gavel  which 
he  used  on  that  occasion  was  ivory,  and  is  now  in 
possession  of  Lodge  No.  9,  at  Georgetown,  which 
was  represented  by  its  officers  and  members  in  the 
procession.  No  act  of  Washington  was  more  his- 
toric than  this,  and  yet  it  finds  no  place  on  the  pages 
of  our  country's  history.  It  was  he  who  was  first 
in  the  hearts  of  all  men,  honoring  Masonry  by  his 
profession  as  a  brother,  and  sanctioning  by  his 
participation  as  the  chief  actor  in  its  highest  public 
ceremonies,  its  claim  as  an  institution  worthy  of 
national  confidence  and  regard.  And  yet  the  com- 
pilers of  our  country's  annals  have  ignored  the  fact 


AMERICAN  MASON  53 

or  left  it  unrecorded  on  their  pages,  until  their  si- 
lence has  been  made  to  testify  that  Washington  dis- 
dained publicly  to  avow  himself  a  Mason.  But  he 
stood  on  that  occasion  before  his  brethren  and  the 
world  as  the  representative  of  Solomon  of  old  who 
the  Jewish  historian  says,  "laid  the  foundation  of 
the  Temple  very  deep  in  the  ground ;  and  the  mate- 
rials were  strong  stones,  such  as  would  resist  the 
force  of  time." 


THE  DEATH  OF  WASHINGTON 


Departed  this  life  on  the  \^th  of  December  1799, 
Aet.  68 

"Ere  mature  manhood  marked  his  youthful  brow, 
He  sought  our  altar  and  he  made  his  vow  — 
Upon  our  tesselated  floor  he  trod, 
Bended  his  knees,  and  placed  his  trust  in  God  ! 
Through  all  his  great  and  glorious  life  he  stood 
A  true,  warm  brother,  foremost  e'er  in  good  ; 
And  when  he  died,  amid  a  nation's  gloom, 
His  mourning  brethren  bore  him  to  the  tomb!" 

THE  sun  had  passed  its  meridian  before  the 
Fraternity  and  military  escort  arrived  from 
Alexandria.  The  Masonic  apron  and  two  crossed 
swords  were  then  placed  upon  the  coffin,  a  few 
mystic  words  were  spoken,  and  the  brethren  filed  by 
the  noble  form,  majestic  even  in  death,  and  took  a 
sad  last  look  at  one  they  had  loved  so  well.  Alas, 
the  light  of  his  eye  and  the  breathing  of  his  lips 
in  fraternal  greeting  were  lost  to  them  forever  on 
this  side  of  the  grave! 

Down  the  shaded  avenues  that  led  from  the  man- 

sion to  the  Potomac  was  seen  a  vessel  at  anchor 

54 


WASHINGTON  55 

with  its  white  sails  furled,  awaiting  the  procession's 
forming.  The  cavalry  took  its  position  in  the  van, 
and  next  came  the  infantry  and  guard,  all  with  arms 
reversed.  Behind  them  followed  a  small  band  of 
music  with  muffled  drums  and  next  the  clergy,  two 
and  two.  They  were  four  in  number — Rev.  Dr. 
Muir  and  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Davis,  Maffitt,  and  Addi- 
son — the  first  three  of  whom  were  Masons  and 
members  of  Lodge  No.  22,  at  Alexandria.  Then 
followed  Washington's  war-horse,  led  by  two 
grooms  dressed  in  black.  It  was  riderless  that  day, 
but  carried  saddle,  holsters,  and  pistols.  Next  was 
placed  the  body  on  its  bier,  covered  with  a  dark 
pall.  Six  Masonic  brethren  attended  it  as  pall- 
bearers. They  were  Colonels  Gilpin,  Marsteller, 
and  Little  on  the  right,  and  Colonels  Simms,  Ram- 
sey, and  Payne  on  the  left,  all  members  of  Wash- 
ington's own  Lodge.  Each  of  them  wore  on  his 
left  arm  an  ample  badge  of  black  crepe,  which  may 
still  be  seen,  together  with  the  bier  on  which  the 
body  was  borne,  in  the  museum  at  Alexandria. 
The  relatives  and  a  few  intimate  family  friends 
then  followed  as  principal  mourners.  Then  came 
the  officers  and  members  of  the  Lodge  and  other 
Masonic  brethren,  all  as  mourners. 

The  officers  of  the  corporation  of  Alexandria 
then  took  their  places  behind  the  Masonic  Frater- 


56 


WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 


nity;  citizens  followed,  preceded  by  the  overseers 
of  the  Mount  Vernon  estate,  and  the  domestics  of 
the  estate  closed  the  procession. 


Masonic  Funeral  Ceremonies  at  Mount  Vernon 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Davis  closed  the  burial  service 
with  a  short  address.  There  was  a  pause — and 
then  the  Master  of  the  Lodge  performed  the  mystic 
funeral  rites  of  Masonry,  as  the  last  service  at  the 


AMERICAN  MASON  57 

burial  of  Washington.  The  apron  and  the  sword 
were  removed  from  the  coffin,  for  their  place  was 
no  longer  there.  It  was  ready  for  entombment. 
The  brethren  one  by  one  cast  upon  it  an  evergreen 
sprig,  and  their  hearts  spoke  the  Mason's  farewell 
as  they  bestowed  their  last  mystic  gift.  There  was 
breathless  silence  there  during  this  scene.  So  still 
was  all  around  in  the  gathered  multitude  of  citizens, 
that  they  might  almost  have  heard  the  echoes  of  the 
acacia  as  it  fell  with  trembling  lightness  upon  the 
coffin  lid.  The  pall-bearers  placed  their  precious 
burden  in  the  tomb's  cold  embrace,  earth  was  cast 
on  the  threshold  and  the  words  were  spoken — 
"Earth  to  earth — ashes  to  ashes — dust  to  dust" — 
and  the  entombment  of  Washington  was  finished. 
The  public  burial  honors  of  Masonry  were 
given  by  each  brother  with  uplifted  hands,  saying 
in  his  heart,  "Alas!  my  brother!  We  have  knelt  with 
thee  in  prayer,  we  have  pressed  thee  to  our  bosoms, 
we  will  meet  thee  in  heaven!"  The  cannon  on  the 
vessel  and  on  the  banks  above  them  then  fired  their 
burial  salute,  and  Mount  Vernon's  tomb  was  left  in 
possession  of  its  noblest  sleeper. 


58  WASHINGTON 

Through  the  lone  shadows  dim 

We  follow  him 
Whose  face  we  no  more  see, 
Holding  in  deathless  memory 
The  love  we  found  in  him. 

He  hears  the  rush  of  unseen  wings, 
The  hush  of  lonely  silent  things 
That  softly  float 

In  dreamland's  boat 
From  sun-kissed  shores  of  memory. 

Forgive  the  selfishness  of  men 

Who  call  thee  friend, 
Yet  wish  thee  back  with  us  again! 
It  mars  the  happiness  of  him 
Who  now  is  with  the  Cherubim! 


PART  II 

GREAT  AMERICAN  MASONS  CONTEMPO- 
RARY WITH  WASHINGTON 


REVOLUTIONARY  MASONS 

IF  Virginia  produced  a  Masonic  Washington 
Pennsylvania  vies  with  her  in  claiming  a 
Masonic  Franklin,  that  name  so  intimately  asso- 
ciated with  Washington,  whose  staff  in  civil  life 
was  no  less  potent  than  the  sword  of  Washington, 
in  war.  It  was  in  the  argument  of  James  Otis,  a 
brother  Mason  of  the  First  Lodge,  at  Boston, 
against  the  Writs  of  Assistance,  that  greatly 
aided  the  independence  and  liberty  of  the  Colo- 
nies. John  Hancock,  Joseph  Warren,  and  Paul 
Revere  were  Masons,  all  being  later  Grand  Mas- 
ters of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Massachusetts.  Paul 
Revere,  known  to  every  school  boy,  who  rode 
through  "Middlesex  village  and  farm,  for  the  coun- 
try folk  to  be  up  and  arm,"  chose  to  assist  him  in 
hanging  the  "lanterns  aloft  in  the  belfry  arch  of 


60  WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

the  North  Church  tower,  one  if  by  land  and  two 
if  by  sea,"  John  Pulling,  a  member  of  Marblehead 
Lodge,  while  Joseph  Warren  selected  William 
Dawes,  another  Mason,  to  perform  the  same  errand 
as  Revere,  across  the  country  from  Roxbury.  John 
Hancock  gave  his  fortune  to  the  cause  of  the  Colo- 
nies, and  Joseph  Warren,  being  at  the  time  the 
Grand  Master  of  Masons,  gave  his  life  in  the 
battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  the  fatal  shot  being  fired 
across  the  breastworks  laid  out  by  Richard  Grid- 
ley  as  civil  engineer,  who  took  part  in  the  battle, 
and  at  the  time  was  Deputy  Grand  Master  of 
Masons. 

The  First  Lodge  of  "Ancient"  Masons  in  Boston 
met  at  the  Green  Dragon  tavern,  "that  nest  where 
patriot  plots  were  hatched."  The  disguise  of 
Indians  were  assumed  by  the  greater  part  of  those 
who  threw  the  hated  tea  into  the  tide,  and  the  rec- 
ords of  St.  Andrew's  Lodge  at  one  place  bear  the 
laconic  statement,  "Consignees  of  Tea  took  the 
brethren's  time." 

This  tavern,  also  known  as  the  "Freemasons 
Arms,"  was  described  by  the  royal  Governor  as  a 
"nest  of  sedition"  and  by  Daniel  Webster  as  the 
"Headquarters  of  the  Revolution,"  a  name  to 
which  it  has  undoubted  claim. 

It  was  a  two-story  brick  building  on  a  little  lane 


AMERICAN  MASON  61 

off  Union  Street,  near  the  shores  of  the  Mill  Pond. 
It  was  purchased  by  St.  Andrew's  Lodge  before 
the  Revolution  (1770)  and  the  site  is  still  owned 
by  them.  The  building  was  taken  down  in  1828. 
Here  met  the  North  End  Caucus,  the  Sons  of 
Liberty,  Paul  Revere's  famous  Club  and  other 
Revolutionary  bodies.  "How  much  'treason,' ' 
says  the  historian  Drake,  "was  hatched  under  this 
roof  will  never  be  known.  But  much  was  unques- 
tionably concocted  within  the  walls  of  the  Masonic 
Lodge." 

It  was  to  men  active  in  these  and  similar  pa- 
triotic scenes  that  George  Washington  .came  to 
assume  command  of  the  Colonial  army  under  the 
historic  elm  at  Cambridge.  It  needed  not  the  slow 
growth  of  confidence  to  enable  Washington  to  know 
and  try  these  men,  for  he  found  already  those  "to 
whom  the  burdened  heart  could  pour  out  its  sor- 
rows, to  whom  distress  could  prefer  its  suit," 
with  whom  friendships  and  confidences  existed  at 
once  with  the  hand  clasp,  and  with  whom  coopera- 
tion and  action  were  immediate. 

The  controversy  and  rivalry  between  the  "An- 
cient" and  "Modern"  Grand  Lodges  in  England 
had  important  consequences  in  the  Colonies.  In 
brief,  the  original  Grand  Lodge  in  England,  im- 
properly called  "Modern,"  had  "a  noble  brother 


62  WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

at  their  head"  and  was  strongly  inclined  to  be 
aristocratic,  not  to  say  snobbish.  The  "Ancient" 
Grand  Lodge  was  formed  by  seceders  with  the 
avowed  object  of  reviving  the  purer  democracy  of 
the  old  Lodges.  They  promptly  admitted  as  mem- 
bers certain  artisans  and  laborers  in  London  who 
had  been  made  Masons  in  Ireland  but  who,  by 
reason  of  their  lack  of  money  and  social  position, 
had  been  excluded  from  the  "Modern"  Lodges. 

The  same  difference  obtained  in  the  Colonies. 
The  "Modern"  Lodges,  generally  speaking,  were 
patronized  by  the  royal  Governors  and  other  Brit- 
ish civil  and  military  officers  and  for  the  most  part 
sympathized  with  the  Crown.  The  "Ancient" 
Lodges  were  composed  of  merchants,  mechanics 
and  laborers.  They  were  intensely  democratic 
and  sympathized  with  the  cause  of  Independence. 

Our  revolutionary  fathers,  at  first  averse  to  war 
with  England  and  separation  from  the  mother 
country,  when  finally  forced  to  the  issue,  became 
not  only  political  but  religious,  social,  and  frater- 
nal overturners.  Before  this  expanding  force  the 
Provincial  Grand  Lodges  and  Grand  Masters,  in- 
stituted by  and  operating  under  the  authority  of 
foreign  jurisdictions,  gradually  passed  away  and 
American  independent  Lodges  superseded  the 
English,  Scotch,  and  Irish  Jurisdictions. 


AMERICAN  MASON  63 

Jefferson,  aroused  by  the  conduct  of  the  British 
Parliament  and  imbued  with  radical  ideas  of  re- 
publican simplicity,  became  the  leader  and  the 
most  aggressive  in  the  movement  to  abolish  all 
things  English.  In  his  revision  of  the  Colonial 
statutes,  he  wiped  out  the  power  of  the  Church  of 
England  in  America  and  gave  to  the  world  its  first 
taste  of  absolute  legalized  religious  liberty.  His 
law  of  descent  destroyed  the  system  of  primogeni- 
ture existing  under  the  old  regime,  while  his  sa- 
tirical pen  held  up  to  scorn  and  ridicule  the  pomp 
and  display  of  Cavalier  society,  and  sounded  the 
death  knell  of  aping  English  customs,  even  in  the 
Old  Dominion.  This  violent  spirit  of  revolt, 
grounded  in  deep  resentment,  permeated  all  classes 
and  the  advanced  ideas  of  Otis,  Franklin,  the 
Adamses,  Henry,  and  Jefferson  were  welcomed 
with  satisfaction. 

The  spirit  of  the  delegates  who  met  in  Williams- 
burg,  May  6, 1777,  "for  the  purpose  of  considering 
the  state  of  the  fraternity  in  Virginia,  its  needs, 
and  to  canvass  the  question  of  placing  at  the  head 
of  the  Craft  a  Grand  Master"  was  that  of  most 
Masons  of  America  at  this  time.  They  gave  four 
reasons  why  a  Grand  Master  should  be  appointed 
and  a  Grand  Lodge  organized. 

"First,  We  find  that  the  Lodges  in  this  State 


64  WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

hold  their  charters  under  five  distinct  and  sep- 
arate authorities,  viz.:  The  Grand  Master  of  Eng- 
land, Scotland,  Ireland,  Pennsylvania  and  Amer- 
ica *  (the  last  at  second  hand).f  Of  course  all 
have  a  right  to  appoint  their  deputys,  who  can 
claim  no  authority  over  those  not  holding  his  prin- 

*  There  was  no  real  Grand  Lodge  of  America  at  this  time. 
It  expired  with  the  death  of  Grand  Master  Montfort  in  1776. 
Cabin  Point  Royal  Arch  Lodge  derived  its  Charter  from 
Grand  Master  Montfort,  Apirl  13,  1775.  It  seems  that  some 
years  afterwards  the  Grand  Lodge  at  Richmond  questioned 
the  legality  of  the  charter  of  this  Lodge  and  in  order  to 
satisfy  the  companions,  Mr.  Henry  Montfort  sent  them  Joseph 
Montfort's  commission,  which  was  later  returned  with  the 
following  letter: 

Cabin  Point,  Va.,  May  15,  1789. 
Worthy  Brothers: 

As  a  safe  conveyance  of  papers  of  conse- 
quence from  this  place  to  Halifax  is  seldom  to  be  met  with, 
I  enclose  to  the  particular  care  of  Dr.  John  I.  Ammon,  your 
Charter,  which  was  brought  into  this  place  by  my  son  who 
received  it  from  Mr.  Henry  Montfort,  in  order  to  satisfy  the 
Grand  Lodge  at  Richmond  concerning  some  doubts,  concerning 
a  degree  of  Masonry  of  the  Cabin  Point  Royal  Arch  Lodge, 
which  proved  perfectly  satisfactory.  In  the  name  of  our 
lodge  I  return  you  sincere  thanks  for  the  use  of  your  Charter 
and  wish  it  safe  to  hand. 
I  am  with  appreciative  esteem,  worthy  brother 

Your  most  obedient  and  humble   servant, 

JAMES  BELCHER,  SR. 
Master,  Cabin  Point,  Royal  Arch  Lodge. 

It  is  worthy  of  note  that  Brother  Belcher  signs  himself, 
"Master"  of  Royal  Arch  Lodge,  while  today  his  title  would  be 
High  Priest  of  a  Royal  Arch  Chapter.  Mr.  Henry  Montfort, 
referred  to,  was  the  only  son  of  Grand  Master  Montfort.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  North  Carolina. 

•fThis  refers  to  Cornelius  Harnett  appointed  by  Grand 
Master  Montfort  as  Deputy  Master.  Harnett's  authority  was 
repudiated.  With  the  death  of  Montfort,  in  1776,  The  Grand 
Lodge  of  America  expired. 


AMERICAN  MASON  65 

cipal,  Therefore  any  differences  arising  between 
Lodges  holding  differently  cannot  be  settled  for 
want  of  a  common  tribunal.  For  the  same  rea- 
son the  Craft  can  never  meet  in  annual  communi- 
cation, manifesting  that  brotherly  love  and  affec- 
tion the  distinguishing  characteristic  of  masonry 
from  the  beginning.  Such  divided  and  subdi- 
vided authority  can  never  be  productive  of  any 
real  good  to  the  Craft. 

"Secondly,  We  cannot  discover  upon  strict  en- 
quiry that  Masonry  has  ever  derived  any  benefit 
from  the  foreign  appointment  of  a  Grand  Master 
in  this  country,  they  being  little  known,  and  as 
little  acknowledged. 

"Thirdly,  Being  at  this  time  without  a  supreme 
authority,  and  so  circumstanced  as  to  render  it 
impossible  to  have  recourse  to  the  Grand  Lodge 
beyond  the  sea,  should  any  abuse  creep  into  the 
Lodges  or  should  any  body  of  the  Brotherhood  be 
desirous  of  forming  a  new  Lodge,  there  is  no  set- 
tled authority  to  apply  to.  In  this  case  we  are 
of  the  opinion  that  a  Grand  Lodge  is  a  matter 
of  necessity. 

"Fourthly  and  lastly.  We  find  upon  record  that 
the  Grand  Lodge  of  England,  Scotland  and  Ire- 
land, founded  their  original  right  of  election  upon 
their  sole  authority  by  mutual  consent,  distinct  and 


66  WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

separate  from  all  foreign  power  whatever.  We 
therefore  conclude,  that  we  have  and  ought  to  hold 
the  same  rights  and  priveledges  Masons  in  all 
times  heretofore  have  confessedly  enjoyed." 

The  spirit  of  transition  probably  began  with  the 
death  of  the  gallant  Warren  at  Bunker  Hill.  His 
blameless  life  and  heroic  death,  coupled  with  his 
untiring  zeal  and  devotion  to  the  Fraternity,  had  a 
tremendous  influence  upon  the  Craft  at  large; 
carried  the  estrangement  into  the  Fraternal  breast, 
and  in  some  Colonies  hastened  the  establishment 
of  independent  organizations.  For  several  years, 
however,  after  Warren's  unfortunate  death,  the 
authority  of  the  Provincial  Grand  Lodge  and  Grand 
Masters  were  duly  recognized.  It  was  hard  to 
break  away  from  the  old  fraternal  parent,  and  in 
nearly  every  instance  the  Army  Lodges  chartered 
during  the  Revolutionary  War,  were  creatures  of 
those  provincial  parents. 

The  existence  of  these  Army  Lodges  accounts 
for  the  number  of  famous  revolutionary  characters 
known  to  have  been  Masons  whose  Masonic  rec- 
ords cannot  be  consecutively  traced  and  no  dis- 
covery can  be  made  of  the  time  or  place  of  their 
initiation,  passing,  or  raising.  Illustrious  examples 
are  Alexander  Hamilton,  Lafayette,  John  Marshall, 


AMERICAN  MASON  67 

and  there  are  numerous  others  about  whose  admis- 
sion into  the  Fraternity  little  or  nothing  is  posi- 
tively known,  and  perhaps  never  will  be.  Some  of 
these  patriots  became  among  the  most  prominent  of 
the  early  Grand  Masters  and  were  zealous  workers 
under  the  independent  American  plan  of  Masonry. 

The  Revolution  over  and  the  army  disbanded, 
the  military  Lodges  as  a  rule  ceased  their  labors. 
Their  warrants  were  lost,  their  minutes  scattered 
or  destroyed  in  the  confusion,  and,  in  consequence, 
one  of  the  most  interesting  epochs  in  the  history 
of  the  Masonic  Fraternity  lies  buried  in  impene- 
trable darkness.  Numbers  of  the  revolutionary 
officers  who  had  been  members  of  the  Order  be- 
fore the  beginning  of  military  operations,  identi- 
fied themselves  with  these  traveling  Lodges,  and 
at  the  conclusion  of  hostilities  returned  to  their 
native  states,  or  took  up  their  residences  in  other 
sections  of  the  country,  continued  in  their  old  or 
adopted  homes  active  participation  in  fraternal 
work. 

Notably  among  these  we  find  General  John 
Sullivan,  first  Grand  Master  and  Governor  of  New 
Hampshire;  Pierrepont  Edwards,  the  first  Grand 
Master  of  Connecticut;  General  James  Jackson, 
Governor  and  Grand  Master  of  Georgia;  William 
Richardson  Davies  and  Richard  Caswell,  both 


68  WASHINGTON 

Governors  and  Grand  Masters  of  North  Carolina; 
General  Rufus  Putnam,  first  Grand  Master  of 
Ohio;  General  Mordecai  Gist,  Grand  Master  of 
South  Carolina;  Robert  R.  Livingston,  Grand 
Master  of  New  York;  De  Witt  Clinton;  John  Mar- 
shall, afterwards  Chief  Justice  of  the  United 
States;  General  David  Wooster  of  Connecticut; 
Franklin  and  Milnor  of  Pennsylvania;  Aaron 
Ogden  of  New  Jersey;  Paul  Revere  of  Massachu- 
setts, and  innumerable  others  who  were  instru- 
mental in  establishing  and  promoting  the  Ameri- 
can institution  of  Masonry  as  it  is  today. 


JEWISH  MASONS  WHO  HELPED 
WASHINGTON 

NOT  many  people  know  how  our  Jewish 
Masonic  brethren  helped  Washington  and 
the  Colonies  during  the  dark  days  of  the  American 
Revolution  when  our  forefathers  were  waging  the 
long  war  for  American  independence.  As  we 
begin  this  chapter  we  wish  to  mention  the  remark- 
able fact  that  this  very  intelligent  and  spiritually 
minded  people  find  an  outlet  for  their  generous 
religious  impulses  in  Masonry  and  kindred  orders 
that  they  can  find  nowhere  else.  They  transcend 
the  barriers  of  race  and  creed  which  separate 
them  from  other  groups  of  people  holding  different 
religious  principles. 

They  cannot  work  on  terms  of  religious  equality 
either  with  Protestants  or  Roman  Catholics.  It  is 
the  glory  of  Masonry  founded  upon  such  broad 
and  universal  principles  as  the  Fatherhood  of  God, 
the  Brotherhood  of  man,  and  the  immortality  of 
the  soul, — that  all  spiritual  humanity  meet  in  this 

organization  on  the  plane  of  equality.     Masonry 

69 


70          WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

by  holding  up  the  best  in  each  as  worthy  of  imita- 
tion by  all  has  the  power  of  assimilating  and 
molding  into  homogeneity  the  different  races  com- 
ing to  America  as  no  other  organization  has,  so 
that  the  historian  of  the  future  will  not  fail  to 
give  due  credit  to  the  great  part  it  has  played  in 
making  American  characer. 

The  part  played  by  Jewish  Masons  during  the 
American  Revolution,  when  their  number  is  con- 
sidered, is  one  of  the  unwritten  romances  of  our 
history,  for  at  that  time  there  were  not  more  than 
3000  Jews  in  all  North  America.  They  were  duly 
and  truly  prepared  for  American  citizenship  by 
centuries  of  persecution  in  Europe.  Out  of  the  46 
prominent  Jews,  who  are  known  to  be  members  of 
Masonic  Lodges  at  that  time,  more  than  half  of 
them,  24,  were  officers  in  the  Continental  Army. 

Major  Benjamin  Nones,  a  native  of  Bordeaux, 
France,  who  came  to  America  in  1777,  served  on 
the  staff  of  both  Washington  and  Lafayette. 
Colonel  Isaac  Frank  became  aid-de-camp  to 
Washington,  holding  the  rank  of  colonel  on  his 
staff,  and  served  with  distinction  throughout  the 
war. 

Major  Nones,  Captain  De  La  Motta,  Captain 
De  Leon,  three  Jewish  officers,  carried  Baron 
De  Kalb  from  the  field  of  battle,  mortally 


AMERICAN  MASON  71 

wounded,  and  the  brave  Baron  was  laid  to  rest 
with  Masonic  honors. 

We  should  not  be  surprised  at  the  part  played 
by  the  Jews  during  the  American  Revolution  when 
we  remember  that  love  of  liberty  and  democracy  is 
a  passion  which  has  burned  with  an  increasing 
steadiness  and  an  undiminished  luster  longer  and 
stronger  in  their  hearts  than  in  those  of  any  other 
people  in  the  world.  They  rallied  to  the  cause  of 
the  Colonies  from  Massachusetts  in  the  far  north 
to  Georgia  in  the  far  south,  that  colony  founded  by 
the  great  philanthropist,  statesman  and  Mason, 
General  Oglethorpe,  who  was  one  of  the  founders 
of  Solomon's  Lodge,  No.  1,  Savannah,  Georgia,  in 
1735,  one  of  the  oldest  Lodges  in  America.  Ogle- 
thorpe's  friendly  reception  of  the  Jews  in  1733, 
upon  their  arrival  from  England,  has  been  noted 
by  historians.  The  reason  is  simple  to  a  Mason. 
Among  them  were  such  men  as  Isaac  De  Val,  David 
Nunes,  weigher  for  the  port  of  Savannah,  and 
Moses  Nunes,  searcher  for  the  port  of  Savannah; 
Mordecai  Sheftall  and  his  son,  Sheftall  Sheftall, 
both  of  whom  served  on  the  American  side  during 
the  American  Revolution.  Solomon's  Lodge  was 
well  represented  in  the  patriotic  army.  Among  the 
patriots  we  find  such  names  as  Stephens,  Jackson, 
Houston,  Stirk,  the  Habershams,  well-known  Gen- 


72  WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

tile  Georgia  Masons,  and  the  Jewish  Sheftalls, 
father  and  son.  Levi  Sheftall,  brother  of  Morde- 
cai  Sheftall,  signed  the  address  as  President  of  the 
Hebrew  Congregation  of  Savannah,  to  Washington 
in  1790,  and  was  presented  by  General  Jackson, 
who  was  the  Grand  Master  of  Masons  in  Georgia. 

Passing  northward  to  Philadelphia  we  find  that 
some  of  the  most  distinguished  members  of  Lodge 
No.  2,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  of  Pennsylvania, 
were  zealous  Jewish  patriots  in  those  trying  days. 
Among  them  were  Solomon  Bush,  Isaac  La  Costa, 
Simon  Nathan,  Samuel  Myers,  Bernard  M.  Spitzer, 
Thomas  M.  Randall,  Benjamin  Seixas  and  Moses 
Cohen,  most  of  whom  were  members  of  Mikre 
Israel  of  Philadelphia,  of  which  Zalegman  Phillips, 
the  father  of  that  distinguished  lawyer,  the  late 
Henry  M.  Phillips,  was  Parnas,  or  President. 
These  men  were  all  Masons  and  stood  together  in 
sustaining  General  Washington  in  our  first  fight 
for  liberty. 

They  were  ably  seconded  and  supported  by  our 
Brother  Moses  Michael  Hays,  of  Massachusetts, 
Grand  Master,  who  is  buried  in  the  ancient  Jewish 
Cemetery  in  Newport,  Rhode  Island.  The  cele- 
brated Paul  Revere  served  as  Deputy  Grand  Mas- 
ter under  Hays,  from  which  we  may  understand 
his  standing  and  influence. 


AMERICAN  MASON  73 

Many  Philadelphia  families  of  equal  position 
like  that  of  Morse,  Samuel,  Gratz,  Phillips,  Cohen, 
Etting,  Marks,  Gomez,  Sartor,  Pereyra,  Gumpert, 
Peixotto,  Hackenberg,  Levy,  Nathans,  Wolf,  Hyne- 
man,  Nones,  Solomon,  Lipman,  Cromelien,  Segar, 
Fridenberg,  Da  Costa,  Abrahams,  and  a  host  of 
others  who  lie  sleeping  in  the  Jewish  Cemetery, 
called  Beth  Hahaim,  the  house  of  the  living,  on 
Spruce  Street  below  Ninth,  Philadelphia,  supported 
the  Revolutionary  cause  with  the  same  zeal  they 
gave  to  their  civil  and  religious  duties. 

Finally,  to  bring  a  long  list  of  names  and  heroic 
deeds  of  patriotic  service  to  a  close,  we  cannot  fail 
to  mention  two  or  three  more  who  gave  undying 
zeal  to  the  cause  of  the  Colonies  in  their  agonizing 
birth  as  a  new  nation.  These  names  are  Hyam 
Salomon,  Isaac  Moses,  Benjamin  Levy  and  Morde- 
cai  Noah. 

Hyam  Salomon,  member  of  Solomon  Lodge, 
No.  2,  Ancient  York  Masons,  at  the  request  of 
Robert  Morris  in  the  dark  days  of  the  Revolution, 
loaned  to  the  Colonials  $658,000,  nothing  of  which 
has  been  repaid.  He  also  loaned  to  Jefferson, 
Madison,  Lee  and  others  to  defray  their  personal 
expenses.  He  was  captured  by  the  British,  thrown 
into  prison  and  died  there.  We  would  like  to  see 
a  monument  erected  to  him  in  Washington  that  all 


74  WASHINGTON 

the  nation  may  know  its  great  indebtedness  to  the 
Jewish  people  during  the  American  Revolution. 

Isaac  Moses  and  Benjamin  Levy  also  advanced 
considerable  funds  for  the  cause,  and  Mordecai 
Noah,  of  South  Carolina,  an  officer  of  Washington's 
staff,  gave  $100,000  to  the  government  for  carrying 
on  the  war.  These  are  only  a  few  selected  out  of 
the  long  roll  of  Jewish  American  patriots  and 
Masons  who  upheld  the  strong  arm  of  Washington 
from  1776  till  the  close  of  the  war. 

In  conclusion,  to  drop  the  role  of  the  historian 
and  take  up  that  of  the  prophet,  surely  you  have 
caught  a  glimpse  of  the  unique  and  inestimable 
work  the  Masonic  Lodge  is  doing  to  make  out  of  the 
diverse  races  and  nationalities  in  the  United  States, 
in  spite  of  the  discordant  elements,  one  homogene- 
ous people;  one  in  hope  and  aspiration,  one  in  love 
of  our  common  flag  and  country,  one  in  the  service 
of  humanity  and  God,  a  brotherhood  and  sister- 
hood in  which  each  shall  contribute  something  of 
worth  to  our  common  heritage,  so  that  finally  when 
we  really  learn  what  the  Fatherhood  of  God  and 
the  Brotherhood  of  man  mean,  then  shall  come  that 
far-off  divine  event  when  there  will  be  neither 
Jew,  Greek  nor  Barbarian,  but  the  one  family  of 
the  one  God  of  us  all!  This  ideal  of  the  Masonic 
Lodge  makes  it  worthy  of  our  undying  devotion 
and  the  love  of  every  American  citizen. 


RIGHT  WORSHIPFUL  JOSEPH  MONTFORT 

ON  the  Roanoke  river,  eight  miles  from  Wei- 
don,  North  Carolina,  is  the  ancient  and  his- 
toric village  of  Halifax,  which  has  played  a  part 
out  of  all  proportion  to  its  size  in  making  Amer- 
ican history.  In  its  palmy  days  it  was  the  Capitol 
of  the  Province  of  North  Carolina,  and  had  a 
population  of  1000  inhabitants;  it  now  has  300. 
Here  lived  two  men  of  great  and  outstanding  im- 
portance, both  in  the  life  of  Masonry  and  in  the 
annals  of  our  country.  One  was  the  Right  Wor- 
shipful Joseph  Montfort,  who  is  claimed  to  be  the 
first,  last,  and  only  man  who  was  Grand  Master  of 
all  Masons  in  America;  the  other  Mason  was  John 
Paul  Jones,  the  father  of  the  American  Navy  and 
the  greatest  naval  genius,  perhaps,  that  ever  lived. 
And  here  still  stands  the  Temple  of  Royal  White 
Hart  Lodge,  the  oldest  Masonic  Temple  in  the 
World,  in  which  the  brethren  of  this  famous  lodge 
still  hold  their  sessions. 

WASHINGTON'S  VISIT  TO  HALIFAX 

Washington,  on  his  tour  through  the  Southern 
75 


76          WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

States  in  1791,  visited  Halifax.     In  his  diary  he 
makes  the  following  comments: 

1791.  Saturday,  April  16th. 

...  At  this  place  (i.e.  Halifax)  I  arrived  about  six 
o'clock,  after  crossing  the  Roanoke;  on  the  South  bank 
of  which  it  stands. 

The  River  is  crossed  in  flat  Boats  which  take  a  car- 
riage and  four  horses  at  once. — At  this  time,  being  low, 
the  water  was  not  rapid  but  at  times  it  must  be  much 
so,  as  it  frequently  overflows  its  banks  which  appear 
to  be  at  least  25  ft.  perpendicular  height. 

The  lands  upon  the  River  appear  rich  &  the  low 
grounds  of  considerable  width — but  those  lay  between 
the  different  Rivers — namely  Appomattox,  Nottaway, 
Meherin,  and  Roanoke  are  alike  flat,  poor  &  covered 
principally  with  pine  timber. 

It  has  already  been  observed  that  before  the  Rain  fell, 
I  was  travelling  in  a  continual  cloud  of  dust — but  after 
it  had  rained  some  time,  the  Scene  was  reversed,  and 
my  passage  was  through  water;  so  level  are  the  roads. 

From  Petersburgh  to  Hallifax  (in  sight  of  the  Road) 
are  but  few  good  Houses,  with  small  appearance  of 
wealth. — The  lands  are  cultivated  in  Tobacco — Corn, — 
Wheat  &  Oats,  but  Tobacco  and  the  raising  of  Porke 
for  market,  seems  to  be  the  principal  dependence  of  the 
Inhabitants;  especially  towards  the  Roanoke. — Cotton  & 
Flax  are  also  raised  but  not  entensively. 

Halifax  is  the  first  town  I  came  to  after  passing  the 
line  between  the  two  States,  and  about  20  miles  from 


AMERICAN  MASON  77 

it. — To  this  place  vessels  by  aid  of  Oars  and  Setting 
poles  are  brought  for  the  produce  which  comes  to  this 
place,  and  others  along  the  River;  and  may  be  carried 
8  or  10  miles  higher  to  the  falls  which  are  neither 
great  nor  of  much  extent; — above  these  (which  are 
called  the  great  falls)  there  are  others;  but  none  but 
what  may  with  a  little  improvement  be  passed.  This 
town  stands  upon  high  gound;  and  it  is  the  reason  given 
for  not  placing  it  at  the  head  of  the  navigation  there 
being  none  but  low  ground  between  it  and  the  falls — It 
seems  to  be  in  a  decline  &  does  not  it  is  said  contain 
a  thousand  Souls. 

Sunday,  17th. 

Col.  Ashe  the  Representative  of  the  district  in  which 
this  town  stands,  and  several  other  gentlemen  called 
upon,  and  invited  me  to  partake  of  a  dinner  which  the 
Inhabitants  were  desirous  of  seeing  me  at  &  accepting 
it  dined  with  them  accordingly. 

John  B.  Ashe,  to  whom  Washington  refers  in  his 
diary,  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution  under  Gen- 
eral Greene,  a  member  of  the  Continental  Congress 
in  1787,  a  representative  in  the  Federal  Congress 
from  1790  to  1793,  and  afterwards  elected  gov- 
ernor of  the  State. 

EARLY  RECORDS  OF   MASONS  IN   HALIFAX 

The  first  meetings  of  the  Masons  in  Halifax, 
recorded  in  their  old  Minute  Book,  in  1764  and 


78  WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

1765,  are  so  interesting  to  the  Masonic  student  that 
we  reproduce  them. 

At  a  Lodge  held  at  Andw.  Troughtons,  the  26  day 
of  April  5764.  Present  the  Masters  Wardens  and  the 
rest  of  the  Honorable  Society.  Joseph  Long  and 
Henry  Dowse  was  Raised  to  the  Degree  of  Master 
Masons  and  David  Stokes  and  Fredk.  Simmons  was 
passed  as  fellow  Crafts.  Then  the  Lodge  adjourned. 

At  a  full  Mason's  Lodge  held  at  the  house  of  Daniel 
Lovel  in  the  Town  of  Halifax  on  the  18th  day  of  April 
in  the  year  of  Masonry  5765. 

Present. 

Fred  K.  Schulzer,  G.  Master      David  Stokes 
Daniel  Lovel,  D.  Master  Joseph  Long 

Will  Martin,  Secretary  Henry  Dowse 

Robt.  Goodloe,  Sen.  Warden        Andw.  Troughton 
Jas.  Matt  Ince,  Jun.  Warden          Joseph  Montfort 
Will  Wilson,  Sen.  Stewart          Peter  Thompson 
John  Geddy,  Jun.  Stewart  Brothers 

Resolved  that  it  shall  be  a  perpetual  rule  of  this 
Lodge  that  when  any  strange  Brother  shall  desire  to  be 
admitted  as  a  member  thereof  he  shall  first  pay  the 
sum  Forty  Shillings  Virginia  Currency,  or  the  value 
thereof  to  the  Treasurer  for  the  time  being  and  pay 
the  expenses  of  that  sitting  in  case  a  Lodge  be  called 
for  that  purpose. 

Resolved  that  Brothers  John  Delsach,  James  Matt 
Ince  and  Joseph  Long  be  a  committee  of  this  Lodge  to 
meet  the  like  number  to  be  appointed  by  the  Royal 
White  Heart  Lodge,  with  full  power  to  settle  and  make 


AMERICAN  MASON  79 

Divisions  of  all  monies  or  other  matters  belonging  to 
the  former  Royal  White  Heart  Lodge  and  to  settle  the 
proportions  due  to  each  Lodge,  on  such  terms  as  to 
them  shall  seem  Just  and  Equitable,  and  report  their 
proceedings  to  the  next  setting  here. 

Resolved  that  Brother  Troughton's  House  is  ap- 
pointed for  holding  the  Lodges  until  it  is  thought 
proper  to  make  another  choice.  Then  the  Lodge  was 
adjourned. 

To  the  Masonic  student  these  old  minutes  reveal 
some  interesting  facts.  First,  that  the  Master  of 
the  Lodge  was  called  Grand  Master  and  had  a 
Deputy  Master  to  assist  him.  We  know  of  only  one 
other  Lodge  whose  Master  in  its  earliest  records 
was  called  Grand  Master,  and  that  is  the  Lodge  at 
Fredericksburg,  Va.  If  any  brother  knows  of 
others  will  he  kindly  let  us  know?  It  is  another  im- 
portant fact  that  the  Lodge  in  its  earliest  meetings 
met  at  the  homes  of  the  brethren,  and  that  the  Mas- 
ter's chair,  purchased  in  1765,  was  carried  to  the 
house  where  the  Lodge  met.  We  have  never  seen 
any  other  like  it.  And  lastly  these  records  show 
that  at  the  time  they  were  written,  in  1764,  there 
were  two  Masonic  Lodges  in  Halifax,  apparently  in 
a  flourishing  condition.  It  is  not  known  when  these 
Lodges  were  organized.  The  earliest  spelling  of 
the  Lodge's  name  is  Heart  and  not  Hart. 


80 


WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 


JOSEPH  MONTFORT 

Joseph  Montfort  was  present  at  the  second  re- 
corded meeting  of  the  Lodge.  He  came  of  a  family 
which  had  been  powerful  and  potent  far  back  in  the 


The  Master's  Chair  of  Royal    White  Hart   Lodge 

days  of  Norman  dominion  in  England,  when  it  was 
allied  by  marriage  with  the  royal  house  of  the 
Plantagenets;  but  like  many  other  noble  families 
of  those  early  times,  its  members  lost  their  titles 
and  estates  in  the  civil  discords  which  racked  Eng- 
land throughout  the  succeeding  centuries. 

Montfort  was  born  in  England  about  the  year 


RIGHT    WORSHIPFUL    JOSEPH    MONTFORT 

Grand  Master  of  and  for  America  from  1771  to  1776. 
Master  of  Royal  White  Hart  Lodge,  Halifax,  North 
Carolina  from  1767  until  his  death,  1776 


AMERICAN  MASON  81 

1724,  and  came  to  the  Province  of  North  Carolina, 
with  which  he  was  destined  to  be  conspicuously 
identified  for  many  years.  In  the  course  of 
time  he  became  Clerk  of  the  Court  of  Edge- 
comb  County  before  Halifax  County  was  erected 
out  of  a  part  of  its  territory.  Then  he  became 
Clerk  of  the  County  Court  of  Halifax  and  of  the 
District  of  Halifax,  which  embraced  several  coun- 
ties, Commissioner  of  the  town  of  Halifax,  member 
of  the  Colonial  Assembly,  Colonel  of  the  Provincial 
troops,  Treasurer  of  the  northern  Counties  of  the 
Province,  Commissioner  for  the  Management  of 
North  Carolina  Affairs  in  England,  and  a  member 
of  the  Provincial  Congress  which  met  in  Newbern 
in  April,  1775. 

Though  a  pronounced  Whig  in  the  politics  of 
that  day,  failing  health  prevented  his  active  par- 
ticipation in  the  Revolution,  and  he  died  in  the 
early  stages  of  that  war,  on  March  25,  1776. 
He  married  Miss  Priscilla  Hill,  November  15, 
1753,  a  daughter  of  Colonel  Benjamin  Hill  of 
Bertie  County  who  had  come  to  North  Carolina 
from  Nasemond  County,  Virginia.  She  was  one  of 
the  famous  beauties  of  that  day,  and  lived  to  rear 
her  children  and  train  them  for  the  responsibili- 
ties of  life. 

Joseph    Montfort    had   three    children,    Henry 


82  WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

Montfort,  his  only  son,  who  married  but  left  no 
descendents;  Mary,  who  married  Willie  Jones,  the 
famous  North  Carolina  statesman;  and  Elizabeth, 
who  married  another  famous  North  Carolinian, 
Colonel  John  Baptista  Ashe.  It  is  from  the  Hon. 
and  Mrs.  Willie  Jones  that  John  Paul,  the  father 
of  the  American  navy,  took  the  name  of  "Jones." 
Joseph  Montfort  was  made  a  Mason  before  he 
left  England,  and  he  began  at  once  upon  his  ar- 
rival to  promote  the  interests  of  Masonry,  and  was 
closely  identified  with  Royal  White  Hart  Lodge 
from  the  time  of  his  arrival  in  Halifax  until  his 
death  in  1776. 

ROYAL  WHITE  HART  LODGE  NO.  403  IN  THE  LIST  OF 
ENGLISH  LODGES 

In  the  Old  Minute  Book,  May  20,  1768,  is  the 
following  record: 

"Present:  Joseph  Montfort,  Master;  James  Milner, 
Sr.  Warden;  Andrew  Miller,  Jr.  Warden;  John  Thomp- 
son, Treasurer;  Matthew  Brown,  Secretary;  William 
Martin,  one  of  the  Stewards;  Joseph  Long,  Peter 
Thompson,  John  Martin,  David  Stokes,  Charles  Pas- 
teur, John  Geddy  and  James  Auld,  members."  "The 
lodge  being  opened  in  ample  form,  the  Worshipful 
Master  produced  a  charter  from  the  Grand  Master  of 
England,  to  wit:  Henry  Somerset,  Duke  of  Beaufort 
and  Grand  Master  of  Masons  in  England,  appointing 


AMERICAN  MASON  83 

the  above  named  Joseph  Montfort,  Master,  Joseph 
Long,  Sr.  Warden  and  Matthew  Brown,  Jr.  Warden,  a 
regular  constituted  lodge  of  free  and  accepted  Masons 
by  the  name  of  Royal  White  Hart  Lodge  at  the  town  of 
Halifax  and  Province  of  North  Carolina,  the  same 
bearing  date  at  London  the  21st  of  March,  A.  L.  5767, 
the  same  being  No.  403  in  the  list  of  English  lodges, 
regular  constituted,  upon  which  the  question  was  put 
whether  the  same  should  be  admitted  and  it  was  then 
unanimously  and  gratefully  received,  and  it  was  or- 
dered that  the  Secretary  write  a  letter  to  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  England,  returning  thanks  for  the  honor  which 
the  Grand  Master  had  been  pleased  to  confer  on  them. 
Then,  in  order  that  the  lodge  should  be  opened  agree- 
able to  the  said  Charter,  this  Lodge  was  closed. 

"JOSEPH  MONTFORT,  Master." 

To  the  modern  Mason  one  of  the  noticeable  things 
in  the  old  minutes  of  the  Lodge  is  that  the  minutes 
were  signed  by  the  Master  and  not  the  Secretary. 
I  failed  to  notice  when,  in  the  history  of  this  Lodge, 
the  Secretary  began  to  sign  the  minutes. 

MASONIC  TEMPLE  BUILT 

The  Records  of  May,  1769,  show  that  the  Lodge 
resolved  to  build  a  Masonic  Temple  at  Halifax: 

"Whereas  we,  the  subscribers  esteem  it  publicly 
beneficial  to  promote  society  and  laudably  to  increase 
the  means  of  obtaining  benefit  and  happiness  to  those 
whom  we  are  most  nearly  connected,  and  whereas  it  is 


84 

proposed  and  agreed  to  improve  a  lot  in  the  town  of 
Halifax,  to  wit:  No.  Ill,  so  that  the  accommodation 
thereon  may  serve  for  various  purposes,  particularly 
that  of  a  Masonic  Hall  and  Assembly  Room,  we  there- 
fore obligate  ourselves,  our  Heirs,  Executors  and  Ad- 
ministrators respectively,  to  pay  or  cause  to  be  paid 
on  demand,  to  John  Thompson,  Esq.,  his  Executors 
or  Administrators,  the  sums  annexed  to  our  respective 
names,  for  the  purpose  of  improving  the  said  lot,  he 
with  the  approbation  of  the  Royal  White  Hart  Lodge 
shall  think  proper.  Joseph  Montfort,  a  lot  and  house, 
deed  executed.  Andrew  Miller,  ten  pounds,  J.  0.  Long, 
ten  pounds,  Frederick  Schulzer,  ten  pounds,  John  Thomp- 
son, ten  pounds,  Alexander  Telfair,  ten  pounds,  James 
Milner,  ten  pounds,  Charles  Presten,  five  pounds, 
William  Martin,  five  pounds,  F.  Stewart,  ten  pounds, 
David  Stokes,  five  pounds,  Peter  Thompson,  five  pounds, 
Joseph  Campbell,  five  pounds,  James  Auld,  three 
pounds." 

These  subscriptions  are  all  marked  paid,  and  the 
brethren  of  Royal  White  Hart  Lodge  tell  me  that 
the  house  and  lot  given  by  Joseph  Montfort  was 
worth  $1500.00  and  this  added  to  what  the  other 
brethren  gave  for  the  purpose  of  building  this 
Masonic  Temple,  made  $2000.00  subscribed  and 
paid  in  one  meeting.  Certainly  this  large  sum 
which  these  brethren  gave  shows  in  no  uncertain 
way  the  great  value  they  placed  upon  Masonry. 
Notice  how  broad  their  conception  of  Masonry 


AMERICAN  MASON  85 

was — "beneficial  to  promote  society  and  laud- 
ibly  to  increase  the  means  of  obtaining  benefit 
and  happiness  to  those  whom  we  are  most  nearly 
connected,  so  that  it  may  serve  for  various  pur- 
poses, particularly  that  of  a  Masonic  Hall.*' 

It  was  with  awe  and  reverence  that  I  was  con- 
ducted through  this  old  Masonic  Temple  by 
Brother  Gary,  the  Clerk  of  the  Court  at  Halifax.  I 
found  the  building  to  be  30  x  30,  square  and  two 
stories.  The  lower  story  has  three  rooms;  the 
larger  one,  the  entire  length  of  the  building,  was 
used  for  a  banquetting  room,  and  two  adjoining 
rooms,  on  either  side  of  the  stairway,  were  used 
as  recitation  rooms.  This  building  has  not  been 
used  for  a  school  room  since  1829,  I  am  told;  yet 
the  blackboards  are  in  apparently  as  good  condi- 
tion as  when  they  were  painted  over  a  hundred 
years  ago. 

FREE   MASON'S   HALL   IN   LONDON 

Joseph  Montfort  was  the  largest  contributor  to 
the  building  of  Free  Mason's  Hall  in  London,  and 
the  brethren  in  Halifax  tell  me  that  it  was  the 
building  of  their  Temple  that  inspired  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  England  to  build  the  first  Masonic  Temple 
in  England.  The  first  proceedings  of  the  Grand 


88  WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

said  Joseph  Montfort,  Provincial  Grand  Master  Of  and  For 
America,  with  full  power  and  authority  in  due  form  to  make 
Masons  &  Constitute  and  Regulate  Lodges,  as  Occasion  may 
Require. 

*********** 

And  we  hereby  Will  and  Require  you  our  said  PROVIN- 
CIAL GRAND  MASTER  to  cause  four  Quarterly  Communica- 
tions to  be  held  Yearly,  one  whereof  to  be  upon  or  as  near  the 
Feast  Day  of  Saint  John  the  Baptist  as  conveniently  may  be, 
and  that  you  promote  on  those  and  all  other  occasions  whatever 
may  be  for  the  honour  and  Advantage  of  Masonry  and  the 
Benefit  of  the  Grand  Charity,  and  that  You  yearly  send  to  us 
or  our  Successors,  Grand  Masters,  an  Account  in  Writing  of 
the  proceedings  therein  and  also  of  what  Lodges  you  Consti- 
tute and  when  and  where  held  with  a  list  of  the  Members 
thereof  &  copies  of  all  such  Rules,  Orders  and  Regulations  as 
shall  be  made  for  the  good  Government  of  the  same,  with  what- 
ever else  you  shall  do  by  Virtue  of  these  Presents.  And  that 
you  at  the  same  time  remit  to  the  Treasurer  of  the  Society  of 
the  time  being  at  London,  Three  Pounds,  Three  Shillings  ster- 
ling for  every  Lodge  you  shall  Constitute,  for  the  use  of  the 
Grand  Charity  and  other  necessary  purposes. 

Given  at  London  under  our  Hand  £f  Seal  of  Masonry  this 
I4th  day  of  January,  A.  L.  5771,  A.  D.  1771. 
By  the  Grand  Master's  Command: 

CHAS.  DILLON,  D.  G.  M. 
Witness:    JAS.  HASELTINE,  G.  S. 


CLAIMS  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Brother  Lang  in  his  History  of  Freemasonry  in 
the  State  of  New  York,  says,  page  12:  "Consulting 
the  published  records  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Eng- 
land, we  find  the  only  deputations  to  Provincial 
Grand  Masters  for  various  parts  of  North  America, 
there  mentioned,  were  the  following:"  Then  he 
gives  the  list  from  1729  to  1762,  and  says,  "As 
Coxe  was  appointeod,  in  1730,  for  New  York,  New 
Jersey  and  Pennsylvania,  it  is  evident  that  some 


AMERICAN  MASON  89 

allowance  must  be  made  for  the  list,  at  any  rate 
for  the  period  before  1736." 

The  North  Carolina  brethren  will  claim  that  the 
list  leaves  out  the  first,  last,  and  only  Grand  Master 
of  America,  Joseph  Montfort.  Marshall  de  Lancy 
Haywood,  Grand  Historian  for  the  Grand  Lodge 
of  North  Carolina,  says:  "The  claim  made  for  the 
primacy  of  Montfort  over  other  Provincial  Grand 
Masters  of  America  (of  whom  there  were  several) 
lies  in  the  fact  that  the  commissions  of  the  others 
limited  their  powers  to  those  parts  of  the  Continent 
where  no  other  Provincial  Grand  Master  exercised 
jurisdiction,  while  Montfort  was  given  absolute  au- 
thority without  this  limitation."  Brother  Lang 
agrees  with  Brother  Haywood  in  thus  limiting  the 
authority  of  the  Provincial  Grand  Masters  before 
Montfort,  whom  he  does  not  mention.  This  leaves 
Montfort  without  a  rival  for  the  claims  asserted  for 
him  by  the  Grand  Lodge  of  North  Carolina. 

DANIEL  COXE 

"The  valuable  labors  of  the  committee  named  by  the 
Grand  Lodges  of  Massachusetts,  Pennsylvania,  and  New 
Jersey  have  demonstrated  the  fact  that  the  first  appoint- 
ment of  a  Provincial  Grand  Master  in  this  country  was 
issued  to  R.  W.  Brother  Daniel  Coxe  of  New  Jersey. 
The  only  record  of  the  exercise  of  his  authority,  so 
far  as  has  been  found,  is  in  connection  with  a  Masonic 
Lodge  meeting  at  Sun  Tavern,  in  Water  St.,  Phila- 


90          WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

delphia.  In  the  Fall  of  1730  they  made  application 
to  the  Grand  Lodge  of  England  for  a  Charter,  but 
Daniel  Coxe  had  been  appointed  Provincial  Grand 
Master  and  they  obtained  a  Charter  from  him.  Coxe 
was  present  at  the  meeting  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Eng- 
land, Jan.  29,  1731,  when  his  health  was  drunk  as 
Provincial  Grand  Master  of  North  America.  His  powers 
were  limited  to  two  years,  after  which  the  brethren  were 
granted  authority  to  elect  their  own  Provincial  Grand 
Master. — Early  History  of  the  Proceedings  of  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  the  State  of  New  York,  Vol.  1,  pages  i-vi, 
published  by  authority  of  the  Grand  Lodge,  1876. 

HENRY  PRICE 

Henry  Price  may  have  been  appointed  Provincial 
Grand  Master  for  New  England,  in  1733,  especially  as 
he  acted  as  such,  and  his  acts  were  subsequently  ap- 
proved and  confirmed  by  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Eng- 
land. ...  He  was  at  London,  in  1733.  In  this  year  he 
claimed  to  have  obtained  from  Viscount  Montague,  who 
was  Grand  Master  that  year,  a  deputation  appointing  him 
Provincial  Grand  Master  for  New  England.  .  .  .  There 
is  no  convincing  evidence  that  Henry  Price  was  given 
jurisdiction  "over  the  whole  of  North  America,"  in  1734, 
or  at  any  other  time,  though  the  impression  got  abroad 
that  he  was,  and  he  encouraged  the  unsubstantiated 
assumption.  Neither  had  he  the  right  to  appoint  Pro- 
vincial Grand  Masters  anywhere.  That  right  belonged 
to  the  Grand  Master  of  England  and  could  not  be  exer- 
cised lawfully  by  any  other,  except  by  special  warrant, 
as,  for  instance,  by  a  patent  such  as  was  given  to  Daniel 
Coxe  for  New  York,  New  Jersey,  and  Pennsylvania,  or 


AMERICAN  MASON  91 

deputations  later  issued  to  Thomas  Oxnard  and  Jeremy 
Gridley. — History  of  Freemasonry  in  the  State  of  New 
York,  by  Ossian  Lang. 

ROBERT   TOMLINSON 

The  Earl  of  Loudon,  Grand  Master,  in  1736,  appointed 
Robert  Tomlinson  Provincial  Grand  Master  for  New 
England,  to  succeed  Henry  Price. — History  of  Free- 
masonry in  the  State  of  New  York,  by  Ossian  Lang. 

THOMAS  OXNARD 

Oxnard  was  from  Durham,  England,  and  came  to 
Boston  before  1737.  He  was  a  merchant  and  importer 
of  foreign  wares.  In  1740  he  was  one  of  the  promoters 
of  the  so-called  "Silver  Scheme,"  organized  by  an  asso- 
ciation of  Boston  merchants,  who  issued  their  notes,  in 
opposition  to  the  Land  Bank  or  "Manufactury  Scheme," 
for  the  purpose  of  furnishing  a  circulating  medium, 
which  was  greatly  needed  at  the  time.  On  March  6, 
1744,  he  was  installed  as  Provincial  Grand  Master  of 
Masons  in  New  England,  being  the  third  incumbent  of 
that  office.  The  residence  of  Mr.  Oxnard  was  on 
Tremont  Street,  "at  some  distance  back  from  the  road; 
the  lot  on  which  it  stood  extending  from  Winter  to  the 
next  street  running  parallel  with  it  on  the  north." — The 
Site  of  St.  Paul's  Cathedral,  Boston  and  Its  Neighbor- 
hood, pages  196-198,  by  Robert  Means  Lawrence. 

The  first  Provincial  Grand  Master  to  be  designated 
officially  for  North  America,  was  Thomas  Oxnard,  a 
socially  prominent  resident  of  Boston.  The  patent  of 
appointment  was  issued  to  him  by  Lord  Ward,  Grand 


92  WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

Master,  in  1742.  As  there  were  duly  accredited  Pro- 
vincial Grand  Masters  in  other  North  American  Colonies, 
the  assumption  is  justified  that  Oxnard'.s  authority  was 
to  extend  only  to  territory  not  otherwise  assigned  spe- 
cifically to  another.  A  mistaken  sense  of  his  powers 
induced  him,  in  1749,  to  appoint  Benjamin  Franklin 
Provincial  Grand  Master  for  Pennsylvania.  That  this 
appointment  was  not  seriously  taken  in  England  is  evi- 
denced from  the  fact  that,  a  few  months  later,  Lord 
Byron,  Grand  Master,  issued  a  patent  creating  William 
Allen,  Recorder  of  Philadelphia,  Provincial  Grand 
Master  for  Pennsylvania,  who  .  .  .  appointed  Franklin 
his  deputy,  and  Franklin  understood. — History  of  Free- 
masonry in  the  State  of  New  York,  by  Ossian  Lang. 

JEREMY  GRIDLEY 

Oxnard  died  on  June  26th,  1754,  and  on  April  4th, 
1755,  Colonel  Jeremy  Gridley,  Attorney  General  for 
Massachusetts,  was  appointed  to  succeed  him.  The 
patent  was  issued  by  Lord  Byron,  Grand  Master,  and 
conferred  authority  over  "all  such  provinces  and  places 
in  North  America  and  the  territories  thereof,  of  which 
no  Provincial  Grand  Master  is  at  present  appointed." — 
History  of  Freemasonry  in  the  State  of  New  York,  by 
Ossian  Lang. 

Brother  Gowen  in  his  booklet,  The  Story  of  the 
Right  Worshipful  Joseph  Montfort,  after  making 
the  same  statement  as  Brother  Haywood,  says: 

"The  Provincial  Grand  Master  for  Foreign  Lodges  at 
this  time  was  John  Devignoles,  and  not  Joseph  DeVinold, 


AMERICAN  MASON  93 

as  a  Masonic  historian  has  recently  stated,  but  at  this 
time  America  was  becoming  great  and  important,  and 
Masonic  America  was  knocking  at  the  door  of  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  England  for  the  appointment  of  a  Provincial 
Grand  Master  of  America.  The  Grand  Lodge  of  Boston, 
known  as  St.  John's  Provincial  Grand  Lodge,  urgently 
sought  the  honor  of  becoming  the  Grand  Lodge  of 
America,  but  only  succeeded  in  obtaining  authority  to 
establish  lodges  in  those  parts  of  America  where  no 
local  Provincial  Grand  Master  held  authority.  Joseph 
Montfort's  authority  was  absolute  and  supreme  in  all 
parts  of  America,  then  British  possessions,  and  he  estab- 
lished lodges  and  chapters  within  the  jurisdictions  of 
local  Grand  Masters  at  his  will  and  pleasure,  and  he 
attained  the  highest  Masonic  position  ever  held  by  any 
man  on  this  continent  when  he  received  his  appointment 
as  Grand  Master  of  and  for  America." 

But  in  all  this  discussion  we  should  not  forget 
that  the  Grand  Lodge  of  England  could  not  give 
authority  that  would  be  recognized  by  all  the 
Lodges,  even  within  any  one  colony,  because  their 
charters  were  derived  from  four  distinct  and  ex- 
clusive Grand  Lodges  in  existence  at  that  time  in 
Great  Britain.  But  it  seems  to  me  that  it  is  proven 
that  the  Premier  Grand  Lodge  of  England  did  ap- 
point Joseph  Montfort  Grand  Master  of  all  the 
Masons  of  America  over  whom  it  had  jurisdiction 
in  1771,  the  highest  honor  ever  conferred  upon 
any  Mason  in  America. 


94          WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

THE  GRAND  LODGES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA  AND  TEN- 
NESSEE   DERIVE    THE    TENURE    OF    THEIR   AU- 
THORITY    FROM     THE     COMMISSION     OF 
JOSEPH    MONTFORT   AS    PROVINCIAL 
GRAND     MASTER     OF     AMERICA 

In  this  connection  and  in  proof  of  the  above 
statement,  on  March  27,  1812,  Robert  Williams, 
Grand  Master  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  North 
Carolina  and  Tennessee,  wrote  a  letter  to  Royal 
White  Hart  Lodge  asking  it  to  surrender  the  Com- 
mission appointing  Joseph  Montfort  Grand  Master 
of  America  to  the  Grand  Lodge  of  North  Carolina. 
The  letter  is  as  follows: 

To  the  Officers  and  Members  of 
Royal  White  Lodge,  No.  2, 

Halifax,  N.  C. 
Right  Worshipful  Sirs  and  Brethren: 

Lately  I  have  received  into  my  possession,  as 
a  loan,  a  commission  signed  by  Charles  Dillon, 
Deputy  Grand  Master  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Eng- 
land, impressed  with  a  coat  of  arms  of  the  Duke 
of  Beaufort,  Grand  Master  thereof,  dated  January 
14th,  A.  L.  5771,  A.  D.  1771,  constituting  and  ap- 
pointing Joseph  Montfort,  Esq.,  Provincial  Grand 
Master  of  America.  Brothers,  it  is  from  this  au- 
thority that  our  Grand  Lodge  now  holds  the  tenure 


AMERICAN  MASON  95 

of  its  sovereignty,  that  this  Provincial  Grand 
Master  did,  by  virtue  of  his  said  commission,  con- 
stitute and  establish  lodges  in  his  then  Majesty's 
Provinces:  That  after  the  Revolution  was  over, 
these  regularly  constituted  lodges  met  in  conven- 
tion at  Tarboro,  when  the  present  Grand  Lodge  of 
North  Carolina  and  Tennessee  became  constituted 
and  organized.  I  do  now,  in  behalf  of  myself  and 
our  Grand  Lodge  solicit  the  Right  Worshipful 
White  Hart  Lodge  No.  2,  Halifax,  that  they  would 
be  so  good  as  to  surrender  the  possession  of  this 
instrument  to  our  Grand  Lodge,  AS  IT  IS  THE 
ORIGINAL  CHARTER  FROM  WHENCE  WE 
ARE  ALL  DERIVED.  We  are  emboldened  to  ask 
this  of  your  Right  Worshipful  Body  as  the  pos- 
session thereof  by  you  cannot  be  supposed  in  any 
manner  to  add  to  the  authority  by  which  you  sit 
and  perform  business.  The  granting  of  this  re- 
quest by  you  will  be  gratefully  acknowledged,  and 
received  by  our  most  Worshipful  Grand  Lodge  and 
particularly  by  your  most  obedient  servant  and 
brother,  ROBERT  WILLIAMS. 

Grand  Master  of  the  Grand  Lodge 
of  North  Carolina  and  Tennessee. 

Royal  White  Hart  Lodge  did  not  at  that  time 
grant  this  request,  but  since  has,  and  the  Commis- 


96          WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

sion  of  Joseph  Montfort,  appointing  him  Grand 
Master  of  and  for  America,  is  now  in  possession 
of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  North  Carolina  at  Raleigh. 

WHY    MONTFORT    WAS    SELECTED    FOR   THIS   GREAT 
HONOR 

There  are  many  reasons  why  he  was  selected  for 
this  great  honor.  His  social  and  political  promi- 
nence, the  splendid  and  exact  work  which  he  did, 
his  prompt  and  regular  remittances  to  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  England,  which  example  was  not  followed 
to  any  extent  by  the  majority  of  American  Masters 
and  Lodges  at  this  time  and  his  idea  of  building  a 
Masonic  Temple  which  was  absolutely  new,  both 
in  England  and  America,  made  a  deep  impression 
upon  the  Grand  Lodge  of  England  when  they  re- 
ceived the  report,  and  it  undoubtedly  inspired  them 
to  build  Free  Mason's  Hall  in  London  for  they  at 
once  began  raising  funds  for  this  purpose  and  four 
years  later  completed  that  structure.  Free  Mason's 
Lodge  erected  in  Philadelphia  by  Benjamin  Frank- 
lin and  his  associates  a  short  time  before  on  the 
north  side  of  Chestnut  Street,  between  7th  and  8th 
streets,  was  the  first  Masonic  Temple  to  be  erected 
in  America  or  in  the  world.  It  was  torn  down  in 
1801.  The  Temple  at  Halifax  was  the  second  to 
be  built,  and  as  it  is  still  standing,  it  is  the  oldest 
Masonic  Temple  in  the  world. 


AMERICAN  MASON  97 

Up  to  this  time,  it  was  the  custom  of  the  Masonic 
Lodges  to  meet  in  taverns ;  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Eng- 
land at  this  time  held  its  meetings  at  the  "Crown 
and  Anchor"  in  the  Strand,  London,  and  at  the  erec- 
tion of  the  temple  at  Halifax,  Royal  White  Hart 
Lodge  met  at  "Brother  William  Martin's  Tavern  at 
the  Sign  of  the  Thistle."  In  1776  the  Duke  of 
Beaufort  was  elected  Grand  Master  of  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  England;  the  Province  of  North  Carolina 
had  honored  the  Duke  of  Beaufort  by  naming  a 
city  and  a  county,  Beaufort,  North  Carolina,  and 
in  this  fact  we  find  another  reason  why  Montfort 
received  this  appointment,  the  Duke  of  Beaufort 
choosing  a  North  Carolina  man  for  Provincial 
Grand  Master  of  America  in  return  for  this  honor. 
It  is  easy  to  be  seen  why  Montfort  was  the  last  as 
well  as  the  first  Provincial  Grand  Master  of  Amer- 
ica. The  Revolutionary  War  completely  separated 
the  two  countries,  politically  and  Masonically. 

In  the  grounds  of  Royal  White  Hart  Lodge  and 
in  front  of  the  Temple  is  a  beautiful  recumbent 
slab  of  polished  granite  erected  to  his  memory  by 
the  Masons  of  America  in  1911.  The  inscription 
on  it  reads  as  follows: 


98  WASHINGTON 


THE  RIGHT  WORSHIPFUL 

JOSEPH  MONTFORT 

BORN  IN  ENGLAND,  A.D.  1724 

DIED   IN    HALIFAX,    N.    C. 

MARCH  25,  A.D.  1776 


APPOINTED  PROVINCIAL  GRAND 

MASTER    OF   AND   FOR 
AMERICA  ON  JAN.  14,  A.L.  5771   (A.D.  1771) 

BY  THE   DUKE    OF   BEAUFORT 

GRAND  MASTER  OF  THE  GRAND  LODGE  OF  ENGLAND,  F.&A.M. 
FIRST  CLERK  OF  THE   COURT   OF  HALIFAX   COUNTY 
TREASURER   OF    THE    COLONY   OF    NORTH    CAROLINA 

COLONEL    OF    COLONIAL    TROOPS 

MEMBER    OF    PROVINCIAL    CONGRESS 

ORATOR — STATESMAN — PATRIOT — SOLDIER 

THE    HIGHEST    MASONIC    OFFICIAL    EVER    REIGNING 

ON   THIS    CONTINENT 

THE    FIRST — THE    LAST — THE    ONLY 

GRAND    MASTER    OF    AMERICA 

The  bronze  tablet  on  the  gate  opening  to  the 
monument  has  this  inscription: 

THE  GRAVE  OF  MONTFORT 

THIS  GATE  SWINGS  ONLY  BY  ORDER 

OF   THE    WORSHIPFUL   MASTER   OF 

ROYAL  WHITE    HART   LODGE 

TO    ADMIT    PILGRIM    MASONS 


\ 


JOHN  PAUL  JONES 

HALIFAX  in  the  Province  of  North  Carolina 
has  not  only  given  us  Joseph  Montfort,  the 
great  Mason,  patriot  and  statesman,  and  his  two 
brilliant  and  patriotic  daughters,  Mary  and  Eliza- 
beth ;  but  more  especially  its  name  and  fame  are  in- 
separably linked  with  America's  great  naval  hero, 
John  Paul  Jones.  In  Halifax  he  found  men  and 
women  who  appreciated  his  genius,  and  gave  him 
the  opportunity  of  exercising  it  as  an  officer  in  the 
navy  of  the  United  States  during  the  Revolution. 
Our  purpose  is  not  to  give  the  details  of  his  life,  but 
to  shed  light  on  the  "obscure  years"  of  1773-1775, 
in  which  he  came  to  live  in  America,  took  the  name 
of  "Jones,"  and  sided  with  the  colonies  in  the  war 
with  England.  But  before  we  do  this,  we  will  give 
a  sketch  of  his  Masonic  career. 

HIS  MASONIC  CAREER 

Before  he  took  the  name  of  "Jones,"  he  was 
made  a  Mason  in  Scotland  in  1770. 

(From  the  Original  at  St.  Mary's  Isle.) 
To  the  Worshipful,  the  Master,  Wardens  &  Permanent 
Brethren  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  of  the  Lodge  of 
St.  Bernard  held  at  Kirkcudbright. 

99 


100         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

The  petition  of  John  Paul,  the  Commander  of  the 
John,  of  Kirkendal,  Humbly  Sheweth 

That  your  Petitioner,  for  a  considerable  time  by-past, 
haith  entertained  a  strong  and  sincere  Regaird  for  your 
most  noble,  Honourable,  and  Ancient  Society  of  Free 
and  Accepted  Masons,  but  Hitherto  not  meeting  with 
reasonable  opportunity  Do  now  most  Humbly  crave  the 
benefit  of  Receiving  and  Admitting  me  Into  your  fra- 
ternity as  an  Entered  apprentice,  promising,  assuring 
and  engaidging  to  you  That  I  shall  on  all  Rules  and 
Orders  of  your  Lodge  be  most  obsequient  and  observant. 
That  I  shall  in  all  things  Deport,  behave,  and  act  an- 
swerable to  the  Laws  and  Orders  of  the  Lodge,  and  in 
everything  to  which  I  may  be  made  lyable,  promising 
faithful  obedience. 

The  complyance  of  your  Right  Worshipful  Wardens 
and  the  rest  of  the  Brethren  will  singularly  oblidge  and 
very  much  Honour,  Right  Worshipful,  your  most  humble 
Petitioner  and  most  Humble  Servant. 

JNO.  PAUL. 

I  do  attest  the  Petitioner  to  be  a  good  man  and  a  per- 
son whom  I  have  no  doubt  will  in  due  time  become  a 
worthy  Brother. 

JAMES  SMITH. 

This  paper  is  not  dated,  and  as  John  Paul  com- 
manded the  John  in  1770,  it  appears  that  he  was 
entered  a  Mason  at  Kirkcudbright  November  27, 
1770. 

While  fitting  out  The  Ranger,  it  is  stated  that 
he  visited  St.  John's  Lodge  No.  1,  in  Portsmouth, 


AMERICAN  MASON  101 

N.  H.,  and  while  in  Paris  united  with  the  "Nine 
Sisters,"  of  which  Franklin  was  a  member. 

The  records  of  Royal  White  Hart  Lodge  during 
the  period  in  which  he  was  in  Halifax  are  lost,  but 
the  Masons  must  have  met  regularly  as  Masonry 
at  this  time  was  at  its  zenith  in  Halifax,  and  if 
those  lost  records  are  ever  found  we  believe 
the  tradition  that  John  Paul  Jones  was  a  visitor  of 
this  Lodge  will  be  found  true,  as  he  visited  Masonic 
Lodges  wherever  he  went,  and  his  intimate  associ- 
ation with  Grand  Master  Montfort  gave  him  every 
incentive  to  visit  his  Lodge. 

John  Paul  Jones  took  only  the  first  degree  of 
Masonry  in  Kilwinning  Lodge  No.  122  in  Kirkcud- 
bright, Scotland,  and  the  Fellowcraft  and  Master 
Degrees  he  took  somewhere  in  America,  but  when 
or  in  what  Lodge  is  not  known.  But  if  the  lost 
records  of  Royal  White  Hart  Lodge  are  ever 
found,  we  believe  that  it  will  be  proved  that  he 
took  these  degrees  in  that  Lodge. 

HIS  EARLY  CAREER 

The  New  International  Encyclopedia  states  in  its 
short  sketch  of  John  Paul  Jones:  "A  famous  naval 
officer  in  the  American  Revolution,  born  in  Kirk- 
cudbrightshire, Scotland,  July  6%  1747.  His  name 
originally  was  John  Paul,  Jones  being  subse- 


102         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

quently  added  for  reasons  unknown.  In  his  twelfth 
year  he  was  apprenticed  to  a  merchant  of  White- 
haven,  who  was  actively  engaged  in  the  American 
trade,  and  shortly  thereafter  sailed  for  Virginia, 
where  his  brother  was  settled  as  a  planter.  For  a 
time  he  lived  at  Fredericksburg  with  his  brother, 
devoting  his  leisure  to  the  study  of  nautical  af- 
fairs. In  1766,  his  indentures  being  cancelled, 
he  made  a  voyage  to  Jamaica  as  chief  mate  on  a 
slaver.  He  soon  abandoned  this  business,  how- 
ever, and  in  1768  took  passage  in  a  brigantine  for 
Scotland.  The  Master  and  the  Mate  dying  in  the 
course  of  the  voyage,  Paul  assumed  command  and 
carried  the  vessel  safely  into  port.  For  this  ser- 
vice the  owners  appointed  him  captain  and  super- 
cargo and  sent  him  on  a  voyage  to  the  West  Indies. 
He  continued  this  trade  and  accumulated  a  fortune 
by  commercial  speculation.  In  1773,  his  brother 
having  died  childless  and  intestate,  he  returned  to 
Virginia  to  settle  the  affairs  of  the  estate  which 
had  fallen  to  him,  and  for  a  time  gave  his  atten- 
tion to  planting.  It  was  then  that  he  assumed 
the  name  of  Jones,  by  which  he  was  subsequently 
iknown." 

WILLIAM  PAUL'S  ESTATE 

In  Buell's  "Life  of  Jones,"  it  is  said,  page  1,  that 
John  Paul's  elder  brother  William  was  adopted 


AMERICAN  MASON  103 

in  1743  by  a  relative  named  William  Jones,  a  well- 
to-do  Virginia  Planter,  while  he  was  on  a  visit  to 
Kirkbean  Parish,  and  that  William  then  took  the 
name  of  Jones.  On  page  six  he  says:  "Old  Wil- 
liam Jones  died  in  1760,  and  by  the  terms  of  his 
will  had  made  John  Paul  the  residuary  legatee  of 
his  brother  (William)  in  case  the  latter  should 
die  without  issue,  provided  that  John  Paul  would 
assume,  as  his  brother  had  done,  the  patronymic 
of  Jones.  On  his  visit  to  Rappahannock  in  1769, 
Captain  John  Paul  legally  qualified  under  provi- 
sions of  the  will  of  William  Jones  by  recording  his 
assent  to  its  requirements  in  due  form." 

I  examined  the  records  of  Spotsylvania  County, 
Va.,  to  find  out  whether  they  would  verify  or  dis- 
prove this  theory  and  found  William  Paul's  will 
in  Will  Book  E.,  page  97.  In  his  will  he  states: 
"It  is  my  will  and  desire  that  my  lots  and  houses 
in  this  town  be  sold  and  converted  into  money  for 
as  much  as  they  will  bring,  that  with  all  my  other 
estate  being  sold  and  what  of  my  outstanding  debts 
can  be  collected,  I  give  and  bequeath  unto  my  be- 
loved sister,  Mary  Young,  and  her  two  eldest  chil- 
dren, in  Arbigland  in  Parish  Kirkbean,  in  the 
Stewartry  of  Galloway,  and  their  heirs  forever. 
And  I  do  hereby  empower  my  executors  to  sell  and 
convey  the  said  lots  and  houses  and  make  a  fee 


104         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

simple  therein,  and  I  do  appoint  my  friends,  Mr. 
William  Templeman  and  Isaac  Hislop,  my  execu- 
tors, to  see  this  my  will  executed,  confirming  this 
to  be  my  last  will  and  testament." 

This  sister,  Mary  Young,  afterwards  married  a 
Mr.  William  Lowden,  who  removed  to  this  country 
and  was  a  merchant  in  Charleston,  S.  C.,  as  late 
as  1825.  Both  of  the  executors  renounced,  and  one 
John  Atkinson  was  appointed  administrator  and 
gave  bond  in  the  sum  of  five  hundred  pounds,  the 
amount  fixed  by  the  court.  The  will  was  ad- 
mitted to  probate  December  16,  1774.  Three 
times  in  the  will  does  the  testator  declare  his  name 
to  be  William  Paul,  and  the  name  of  his  brother 
John  Paul  is  not  mentioned  at  all. 

WILLIAM  JONES  MYTH 

In  the  August,  1905,  number  of  the  Cosmopoli- 
tan, Mr.  Lewis  says  that  in  the  month  of  April, 
1773,  Paul  landed  on  the  Rappahannock  at  the 
foot  of  the  William  Jones  Plantation,  where  his 
brother  William  was  then  living;  that  he  found 
him  on  his  death  bed,  and  his  last  words  were  that 
his  name  had  been  William  Paul  Jones  since  he 
inherited  the  plantation  from  William  Jones,  and 
that  he,  John,  must  take  the  name  of  John  Paul 
Jones  at  his  death,  with  the  plantation. 


AMERICAN  MASON  105 

William  Paul  did  not  die  in  1773,  but  in  1774, 
which  is  proven  by  the  date  on  his  tombstone  in 
St.  George's  Churchyard,  Fredericksburg,  Virginia, 
which  is  1774,  and  also  by  the  date  of  the  probation 
of  his  will  which  is  December  16,  1774.  That  he 
never  had  the  name  of  William  Paul  Jones  is  also 
proven  both  by  his  will  and  tombstone — both  wit- 
ness that  it  was  William  Paul. 

The  records  at  Spotsylvania  Court  House  show 
that  he  never  inherited  any  land  from  William 
Jones.  In  his  will  William  Jones  does  not  men- 
tion the  names  of  William  Paul  or  John  Paul,  and 
the  only  tract  of  land  owned  by  William  Jones,  so 
far  as  the  records  show,  is  some  397  acres,  which 
were  sold  during  his  lifetime.  This  disposes  of 
the  myth  that  Paul  Jones  ever  inherited  any  prop- 
erty from  his  brother's  estate,  or  ever  owned  any 
property  in  Spotsylvania  County,  Virginia,  and 
that  he  took  the  name  "Jones"  from  William  Jones 
of  Virginia. 

WHY  JOHN  PAUL  CAME  TO  LIVE  IN  AMERICA 

One  of  the  theories  which  attempts  to  explain 
why  John  Paul  came  to  America  and  took  the  name 
of  Jones  was  to  conceal  his  identity  and  avoid 
arrest  for  the  murder  of  the  carpenter  Maxwell. 
When  Paul  flogged  Maxwell  for  mutinous  conduct, 


106         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

he  was  in  command  of  the  ship  John  in  his  sec« 
ond  voyage  in  her.  He  discharged  Maxwell  at 
the  island  of  Tobago  in  May,  1770.  Maxwell 
immediately  had  Paul  hailed  before  the  Vice 
Admiralty  Court  for  assault,  but  the  complaint  was 
dismissed  as  frivolous.  Later  on  in  England  in 
1772,  he  was  charged  with  the  murder  of  Maxwell, 
and  it  seems  that  an  indictment,  presumably  for 
murder  or  manslaughter,  was  found  against  him. 
A  complete  and  perfect  contradiction  of  this 
calumny  is  found  in  Brady,  pages  9  and  10,  and 
Miss  Taylor's  book,  pages  18  and  20,  where  she 
gives  the  affidavit  of  the  Vice  Admiralty  Court, 
who  heard  the  complaint  of  Maxwell,  and  the 
master  of  the  ship  on  which  Maxwell  died. 

So  it  seems  abundantly  proven  that,  not  merely 
Paul  did  not  flee  England  on  this  account,  but 
that  he  disdained  to  fly  and  met  and  boldly  con- 
fronted the  charge.  In  a  letter  written  by  Paul  to 
his  mother  and  sisters,  speaking  of  this  occurrence, 
dated  London,  September  4,  1772,  he  says:  "I 
staked  my  honor,  life  and  fortune  for  six  long 
months  on  the  verdict  of  an  English  jury,  notwith- 
standing I  was  sensible  of  the  general  prejudice 
which  ran  against  me;  but,  after  all,  none  of  my 
accusers  had  the  courage  to  confront  me." 

All  of  Jones'  biographers,  I  believe,  agree  that 


AMERICAN  MASON  107 

he  came  to  America  in  1773,  and  most  of  them 
assert  that  he  came  to  take  over  the  estate  of  his 
brother,  William  Paul.  This  statement  cannot  be 
reconciled  with  the  facts  that  William  Paul  left 
his  entire  estate  to  his  sister,  Mary  Lowden,  and 
her  two  eldest  children,  that  William  Paul  did 
not  die,  and  his  will  was  not  admitted  to  probate 
until  late  in  the  year  1774,  at  least  a  year  after 
Jones  came  to  America,  and  that  a  stranger  was 
allowed  to  administer  upon  it. 

Jones  himself  tells  the  reason  why  he  came  to 
America  in  a  letter  to  William  Morris,  dated  Sep- 
tember 4, 1776,  in  which  he  says:  "I  conclude  that 
Mr.  Hewes  has  acquainted  you  with  a  very  great 
misfortune  which  befell  me  some  years  ago  and 
which  brought  me  into  North  America.  I  am  under 
no  concern  whatever  that  this,  or  any  other  past  cir- 
cumstance in  my  life,  will  sink  me  in  your  opinion." 

Sherburne,  in  commenting  on  this  letter,  most 
truly  says:  "The  misfortune  of  which  he  speaks 
could  not  have  implicated  his  moral  character,  or 
he  would  not  have  enjoyed  the  confidence  of  the 
Honorable  Mr.  Hewes,  to  whom,  as  Jones  informed 
Mr.  Morris,  the  particulars  were  known."  Per- 
haps this  misfortune  to  which  Jones  alludes 
was  the  death  of  Maxwell,  which  was  charged 
against  him  in  England  as  murder. 


108         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

WHY  JONES  SIDED  WITH  THE  COLONIES 

In  a  letter  to  Mr.  Stuart  Mawey,  of  Tobago, 
dated  May  4,  1777,  and  given  in  full  by  Miss 
Taylor  in  her  book,  page  25,  Jones  says:  "After 
an  unprofitable  suspense  of  twenty  months  (having 
subsisted  on  £50  only  during  that  time),  when  my 
hopes  of  relief  were  entirely  cut  off,  and  there  re- 
mained no  possibility  of  my  receiving  wherewithal 
to  subsist  upon  from  my  effects  in  your  island,  or 
in  England,  /  at  last  had  recourse  to  strangers  for 
aid  and  comfort,  which  was  denied  me  by  those 
friends,  whom  I  had  entrusted  with  my  all.  The 
good  offices  which  are  rendered  to  persons  in  their 
extreme  need  ought  to  make  deep  impressions  on 
grateful  minds;  in  my  case,  I  feel  the  truth  of  that 
sentiment,  and  am  bound  by  gratitude  as  well  as 
honor  to  follow  the  fortunes  of  my  benefactors. 
...  I  wish  to  disbelieve  it,  although  it  seems  too 
much  of  a  piece  with  the  unfair  advantage  which 
to  all  appearance  he  took  of  me,  when  he  left  me 
in  exile  for  twenty  months,  a  prey  to  melancholy 
and  want." 

This  period  "of  unprofitable  suspense,"  during 
which  he  eked  out  an  existence  for  twenty  months 
on  a  bare  £50,  and  which  doubtless  was  gall  and 
wormwood  to  his  proud  spirit,  must  have  been  that 


AMERICAN  MASON  109 

"period  of  obscurity"  between  1773  and  1775, 
which  was  a  sealed  book  to  all  his  biographers  save 
Buell,  and  is  the  period  of  which,  we  believe,  he 
spent  a  large  part  at  the  homes  of  Allen  and  Willie 
Jones.  We  are,  we  think,  justified  in  saying  that 
they  were  the  "benefactors"  to  whom  he  alluded, 
and  that  his  declarations  that  he  "was  bound  by 
gratitude  as  well  as  honor  to  follow"  their  fortunes, 
was  intended  in  part  as  an  explanation  of  his 
having  adopted  the  cause  of  the  colonies  as  his 
own.  If  Jones  had  acquired  that  valuable  planta- 
tion in  Virginia  from  his  brother  and  William 
Jones,  as  Buell  says  he  did,  could  he  have  com- 
plained that  he  had  been  left  "in  exile  for  twenty 
months  a  prey  to  melancholy  and  want"  with  but 
£50  for  his  subsistence  during  that  period,  and 
spoken  only  of  his  property  in  Tobago  and  Eng- 
land? 

WHY  HE  TOOK  THE  NAME  OF  JONES 

John  Paul  came  to  America  in  1773,  and  doubt- 
less visited  his  brother,  William  Paul,  living  in 
Fredericksburg,  Virginia.  But  receiving  no  as- 
sistance from  him,  so  far  as  the  records  show,  and 
perhaps  finding  himself  an  unwelcome  visitor, 
he  went  to  North  Carolina,  where  he  met 
Willie  Jones,  the  great  Revolutionary  patriot  and 
statesman,  who  invited  him  to  his  home,  "The 


110         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

Grove,"  in  Halifax.  The  lonely  friendless  young 
Scotchman  gratefully  accepted  the  gracious  invi- 
tation to  this  home  of  abounding  hospitality,  which 
was  not  only  the  home  of  the  cultured  and  refined 
but  the  home  of  the  homeless.  Perhaps  for  the 
first  time  he  was  introduced  into  the  society  of  the 
cultured  and  refined.  Here  he  met  Willie  Jones' 
brother,  Allen,  both  leaders  in  their  day,  and  wise 
and  honored  in  their  generation.  Allen  Jones  was 
an  orator  and  silver  tongued.  Willie  Jones,  the 
foremost  man  of  his  state,  was  one  of  the  most  re- 
markable men  of  his  time.  Here  it  was  that  the 
young  adventurer,  John  Paul,  was  first  touched  by 
those  gentler  and  purer  influences,  which  changed 
not  only  his  name,  but  himself,  from  the  rough  and 
reckless  mariner  into  the  polished  man  of  society, 
who  later  was  companion  of  kings,  and  the  lion  and 
pet  of  Parisian  salons.  Here  it  was  he  met  the 
Hon.  Hewes,  member  of  the  Marine  Committee  of 
the  first  Continental  Congress,  Chairman  of  that 
committee  in  the  second  congress,  and  virtually  the 
first  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  who  through  the  influ- 
ence of  Willie  and  Allen  Jones,  appointed  John 
Paul  First  Lieutenant  in  the  United  States  Navy. 
It  was  out  of  gratitude  to  his  new  friends,  and  espe- 
cially to  Mrs.  Willie  Jones,  daughter  of  Grand 
Master  Montfort,  to  whom  he  gave  a  warmhearted 


AMERICAN  MASON  111 

affection  and  devotion  amounting  to  veneration, 
that  he  took  the  name  of  Jones,  and  finally  changed 
it  from  John  Paul  Jones  to  Paul  Jones. 

THE  NORTH  CAROLINA  TRADITION 

The  North  Carolina  tradition  presents  what  seems 
to  us  to  be  satisfactory  proof  of  this.  It  is  con- 
tained in  Appleton's  Encyclopaedia,  volume  3,  page 
462,  in  a  sketch  of  Allen  and  Willie  Jones  and  of 
Mary  Montfort,  wife  of  Willie  Jones:  "It  is  said 
that  it  was  in  affectionate  admiration  of  this  lady 
(Mrs.  Willie  Jones)  John  Paul  Jones,  whose  real 
name  was  John  Paul,  added  Jones  to  his  name,  and 
under  it,  by  recommendation  of  Willie,  offered  his 
services  to  Congress." 

Harper's  Encyclopaedia  of  United  States  History, 
volume  5,  page  189:  "Jones  came  to  Virginia  in 
1773,  inheriting  the  estate  of  his  brother,  who  died 
there.  Offering  his  services  to  Congress,  he  was 
made  first  lieutenant  in  the  navy  in  December, 
1775,  when  out  of  gratitude  to  General  Jones,  of 
North  Carolina,  he  assumed  his  name.  Before  that 
he  was  John  Paul." 

One  of  the  latest  works  on  the  life  of  Jones  is 
by  Brady,  published  in  1900.  In  writing  this 
book  he  had  access  to  all  previous  works  on  the 
subject,  together  with  a  large  number  of  rare  books, 


112         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

pamphlets  and  manuscripts  not  available  to  other 
writers.  He  adopts  the  North  Carolina  tradition 
and  gives  the  only  satisfactory  explanation  of  the 
remarkable  and  magic  transformation  of  the  rough 
sailor  into  the  polished  gentleman  and  courtier. 
"He  passed  long  periods  at  "The  Grove'  in  Halifax 
County,  the  residence  of  Willie,  and  at  'Mt.  Gallant' 
in  North  Hampton  County,  the  home  of  Allen. 
While  there  he  was  thrown  much  in  the  society  of 
the  wife  of  Willie  Jones,  a  lady  noted  and  remem- 
bered for  her  grace  of  mind  and  person.  The 
Jones  brothers  were  Eton  boys,  and  had  com- 
pleted their  education  by  travel  and  observation 
in  Europe.  That  they  should  have  become  so 
attached  to  the  young  sailor  as  to  have  made 
him  their  guest  for  long  periods,  and  cherished 
the  highest  regard  for  him  subsequently,  is  an 
evidence  of  the  character  and  quality  of  the  man. 
Probably  for  the  first  time  in  his  life  Paul  was 
introduced  to  the  society  of  the  refined  and  culti- 
vated. A  new  horizon  opened  before  him,  and 
breathed  another  atmosphere.  Life  for  him  as- 
sumed a  new  complexion.  Always  an  interesting 
personality,  with  new  habits  of  thought,  assiduous 
study,  coupled  with  the  responsibilities  of  com- 
mand, he  needed  but  little  contact  with  gentle  peo- 
ple and  polite  society,  to  add  to  his  character  those 


AMERICAN  MASON  113 

graces  of  manner,  which  are  the  final  crown  of  the 
gentleman,  and  which  the  best  contemporaries  have 
bourn  testimony  he  did  not  lack." 

TESTIMONY  OF   THE    JONES   FAMILY 

That  distinguished  and  accomplished  gentleman, 
the  late  Colonel  Cadwallader  Jones,  of  Rock  Hill, 
South  Carolina,  who  died  in  1889  at  the  age  of  86 
years,  in  his  genealogical  history  of  the  Jones 
Family,  page  6,  says:  "Willie  Jones  lived  at  'The 
Grove,'  near  Halifax.  These  old  mansions,  grand 
in  their  proportions,  were  the  homes  of  abounding 
hospitality.  In  this  connection,  I  may  mention  that 
when  John  Paul  Jones  visited  Halifax,  then  a  young 
sailor  and  stranger,  he  made  the  acquaintance  of 
those  grand  old  patriots,  Allen  and  Willie  Jones. 
He  was  a  young  man,  but  an  old  tar,  with  bold, 
frank,  sailor  bearing,  that  attracted  their  attention. 
He  became  a  frequent  visitor  at  their  houses,  where 
he  was  always  welcome.  He  soon  grew  fond  of 
them,  and  as  a  mark  of  his  esteem  and  admiration, 
he  adopted  their  name,  saying  that  if  he  lived  he 
would  make  them  proud  of  it.  Thus  John  Paul  be- 
came Paul  Jones — it  was  his  fancy.  He  named  his 
ship  the  Bon  Homme  Richard  in  compliment  to 
Franklin;  he  named  himself  Jones  in  compliment 
to  Allen  and  Willie  Jones.  When  the  first  notes  of 


114         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

the  war  sounded  he  obtained  letters  from  these 
brothers  to  Joseph  Hewes,  member  of  Congress 
from  North  Carolina,  and  through  his  influence  re- 
ceived his  first  commission  in  the  navy.  I  am  now 
the  oldest  living  descendent  of  General  Allen  Jones. 
I  remember  my  aunt,  Mrs.  Willie  Jones,  who  sur- 
vived her  husband  many  years,  and  when  a  boy 
I  heard  these  facts  spoken  of  in  both  families." 

The  distinguished  historian  of  South  Carolina, 
the  late  General  Edward  McCrady,  of  Charleston, 
South  Carolina,  in  a  letter  dated  April,  1900,  says: 
"Mrs.  McGrady  was  the  granddaughter  of  General 
William  R.  Davie,  of  Revolutionary  fame,  who 
married  the  daughter  of  General  Allen  Jones,  of 
Mt.  Gallant,  Northampton,  N.  C.  Tradition  in  her 
branch  of  the  family  has  been,  that  it  was  Allen 
Jones  who  befriended  John  Paul,  and  not  his 
brother  Willie.  ...  It  was  in  honor  of  Allen 
Jones  that  he  adopted  the  name  of  Jones  as  sur- 
name to  that  of  Paul." 

Colonel  W.  H.  S.  Burgwyn,  in  his  sketch  of 
"The  Grove"  in  Vol.  2,  No.  9  of  the  North  Carolina 
Booklet,  mentions  a  letter  received  from  Mrs.  Wil- 
liam W.  Alston,  of  Isle  of  Wight  County,  Virginia, 
a  granddaughter  of  Willie  Jones  over  eighty  years 
of  age.  She  writes:  "You  ask  did  John  Paul 
Jones  change  his  name  in  compliment  to  my  grand- 


AMERICAN  MASON  115 

father,  Willie  Jones.  I  have  always  heard  that  he 
did,  and  there  is  no  reason  to  doubt  the  fact.  Not 
only  have  I  always  heard  it,  but  it  was  confirmed 
by  my  cousin  Mrs.  Hubard,  wife  of  Colonel  E. 
Hubard,  from  Virginia,  while  in  Washington  in 
1856*  with  her  husband,  who  was  a  member  of 
Congress.  She  there  met  a  nephew  of  John  Paul 
Jones,  who  sought  her  out  on  hearing  who  she  was. 
He  told  her  of  hearing  his  uncle  and  the  family 
speak  of  the  incident  often  and  his  great  devotion 
to  the  family,  so  that  in  my  opinion  you  can  state 
it  as  an  historical  fact." 

So  that  to  whatever  branch  of  the  Jones  family 
we  turn,  whether  to  the  descendents  of  Allen  or 
Willie,  and  whether  living  in  North  Carolina,  or 
South  Carolina,  or  in  Virginia,  we  find  the  same 
well  cherished  tradition  that  Paul  took  the  name  of 
Jones  out  of  love  for  one  or  the  other  of  these  two 
brothers. 

THE    EXPLANATION    OF    HIS    SUDDEN    RISE    FROM 
OBSCURITY 

How  did  it  come  that  this  adventurer,  of  humble 
origin  and  poor  estate,  without  apparent  friends  or 
influence,  who  had  passed  his  life  in  the  merchant 
service,  after  a  scant  two  years'  residence  in  this 
country,  and  that  spent  in  obscurity  not  pene- 

*This  is  an  evident  error  and  should  be  1846. — J.  D. 


116        WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

trated  by  any  of  his  numerous  biographers  except 
Buell,  achieved  such  high  rank  over  the  heads  of 
so  many  able  American  seamen  eagerly  seeking  the 
position?  It  was  his  friends,  Willie  and  Allen 
Jones,  who,  bringing  all  their  powerful  influence 
to  bear  on  his  behalf  with  their  intimate  friend, 
Hewes,  who  was  a  member  of  the  Committee  on 
Marine  affairs,  secured  him  his  commission.  In 
the  intimate  association  that  grew  up  between  the 
two  brothers  and  Paul  during  his  long  stay  at  "The 
Grove"  and  "Mount  Gallant"  it  is  only  reasonable 
to  assume  that  the  constant  and  overshadowing 
theme  of  discussion  between  them  was  the  critical 
condition  of  affairs  in  the  colonies,  the  battle  of 
Lexington,  the  Mecklenburg  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence, the  resolves  of  the  Provincial  and  Conti- 
nental Congress,  the  embodying  of  the  militia,  all 
pointing  to  one  inevitable  end — war.  The  leaders 
of  the  people  at  that  time  were  active,  passing  from 
point  to  point  in  the  State,  gathering  for  counsel 
at  the  homes  of  the  influential.  It  is  certain  that 
many  such  gatherings  and  conferences  were  had 
at  "The  Grove"  and  "Mount  Gallant";  and,  with 
our  knowledge  of  Paul's  character,  we  can  well  be 
assured  that  he  was  a  forward  and  eager  partici- 
pant in  all  of  them.  In  the  coming  conflict,  he  fore- 
saw the  opportunity  his  ambitious  soul  had  been 


AMERICAN  MASON  117 

craving  for — rank,  distinction,  homage,  power, 
fame — and  we  can  see  him,  with  all  the  vigor  of  his 
powerful  mind,  his  strong  and  forceful  personality, 
his  consummate  knowledge  of  his  subject,  unfold- 
ing his  plan  to  an  attentive  audience  of  an  Amer- 
ican navy  to  be  created  and  commanded  by  him- 
self, which  would  destroy  the  commerce  of  Eng- 
land, levy  heavy  tribute  upon  her  seaport  cities, 
wrest  from  her  the  supremacy  of  the  seas,  and 
above  all  send  the  name  of  Paul  Jones  ringing 
through  the  civilized  world. 

HEWES  A  FREQUENT  VISITOR  AT  THE  GROVE  HOUSE 

Here  at  "The  Grove,"  Hewes  was  a  frequent  and 
welcome  visitor,  and  here  he  met  and  became  ac- 
quainted with  Paul  Jones.  It  is  certain  that  early 
in  their  acquaintance,  which  was  promoted  by 
Willie  and  Allen  Jones,  Hewes  had  conceived  a 
strong  friendship  for  Paul  Jones,  and  a  thorough 
appreciation  of  his  masterly  abilities  and  his  pro- 
found knowledge  of  the  science  of  his  calling.  He 
was  active  in  bringing  him  to  the  notice  of  leading 
members  of  the  congress.  At  a  meeting  of  the 
Marine  or  Naval  Committee  held  June  24,  1775, 
upon  the  motion  of  Hewes,  Jones  was  invited  to 
appear  before  the  committee  and  give  it  such  advice 
and  information  as  he  might  think  was  useful. 


118         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

General  Washington's  comment  upon  this  report  of 
Jones  was:  "Mr.  Jones  is  clearly  not  only  a  master 
mariner  within  the  scope  of  the  art  of  navigation, 
but  he  also  holds  a  strong  and  profound  sense  of 
the  political  and  military  weight  of  the  command 
of  the  sea.  His  powers  of  usefulness  are  great  and 
must  be  constantly  kept  in  view." 

JONES  ACKNOWLEDGES  HIS  INDEBTEDNESS  TO 
HEWES 

In  a  letter  to  Hewes  of  May  22,  1'778,  he  says: 
"The  great  individual  obligation  I  owe  you  makes 
it  more  than  ever  my  duty  to  keep  you  personally 
advised  of  my  movements  .  .  .  because  you  more 
than  any  other  person  have  labored  to  place  the 
instrument  of  success  in  my  hands. 

Again,  writing  Hewes  under  date  of  November 
7, 1778,  he  says:  "Of  one  thing  in  spite  of  all,  you 
may  definitely  assure  yourself,  and  that  is  I  will 
not  accept  any  command  or  enter  any  arrangement, 
that  can  in  the  least  bring  in  question  or  put  out  of 
sight  the  regular  rank  I  hold  in  the  United  States 
Navy,  for  which  I  now,  as  always,  acknowledge 
my  debt  more  to  you  than  to  any  other  person. 
These  extracts  fully  establish  the  truth  of  the 
statement  before  made  that  Hewes  procured  Jones 
his  appointment  in  the  navy,  which  we  think  is  now 


AMERICAN  MASON  119 

conceded  by  every  one  who  has  made  a  study  of 
his  career. 

APPOINTED  FROM   NORTH   CAROLINA 

In  the  21st  volume  of  the  Colonial  Record  of 
North  Carolina,  page  527,  is  a  letter  from  Robert 
Burton,  of  Granville  County,  then  a  member  of 
Congress,  to  Governor  Samuel  Johnston,  dated 
January  28,  1789.  It  is  as  follows: 

Dear  Sir: 

As  those  who  have  fought  and  bled  for  us  in  the 
late  contest  cannot  be  held  in  too  high  esteem,  and  as 
Chevalier  John  Paul  Jones  is  among  the  foremost  who 
derived  their  appointment  from  this  state  that  deserves 
to  be  held  in  remembrance  to  the  latest  Ages,  I  take  the 
liberty  of  offering  to  the  state  as  a  present  through 
you,  its  chief  Magistrate,  the  Bust  of  that  great  man 
and  good  soldier  to  perpetuate  his  memory.  If  you  do 
me  the  honor  to  accept  it,  you  will  please  inform  me 
by  a  line. 

To  this  Governor  Johnston  replied,  February  19, 
1789,  that  he  would  gladly  accept  the  bust,  on 
behalf  of  the  state,  and  in  a  letter  of  John  Paul 
Jones,  March  20,  1791,  he  says  that  Mr.  Burton 
had  asked  his  bust  in  behalf  of  the  State  of  North 
Carolina,  and  that  he  had  ordered  Houdon  to  pre- 
pare and  forward  it  by  the  first  ship  from  Havre  de 
Grace  to  Philadelphia  addressed  to  Jefferson,  and 


120         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

he  asked  him  to  give  it  to  the  North  Carolina  dele- 
gates to  forward  to  the  Governor  of  that  State. 
The  bust  was  never  presented  to  the  state,  per- 
haps because  of  the  sickness  and  death  of  Jones 
the  following  year. 

SHORT  SKETCH  OF  HIS  NAVAL  CAREER 

At  the  beginning  of  the  American  war  Jones 
was  placed  in  command  of  the  ship  Alfred  on 
which  he  hoisted  the  American  flag,  the  first  ever 
to  fly  over  an  American  ship.  Under  this  flag  he 
went  to  France;  it  was  there  that  the  French  naval 
commander  at  Brest  fired  the  first  salute  ever 
given  by  a  foreign  nation  to  the  American  flag, 
this  being  arranged  by  John  Paul  Jones.  As  early 
as  1777,  Jones  was  working  havoc  on  English 
merchant  ships  in  the  English  and  Irish  channels 
and  off  the  coast  of  Scotland.  It  was  from  the 
shores  of  France  that  Jones  set  sail  on  his  ship  the 
Bon  Homme  Richard  on  the  memorable  cruise 
which  resulted  in  the  victory  over  the  English 
man-of-war  Serapis.  This  was  very  important 
for  it  gave  the  Americans  the  reputation  of  good 
sea  fighters.  It  was  in  France  he  received  knight- 
hood and  a  sword  of  honor.  Many  tributes  of 
friendship  and  praise  were  heaped  upon  him.  In 
the  Revolution  he  had  twenty-three  battles  and  en- 


AMERICAN  MASON  121 

counters  by  sea;  and  made  seven  descents  into 
Britain  and  her  colonies.  In  his  dangerous  situ- 
ation in  Holland,  when  he  took  the  Serapis  into 
Dutch  port  he  drew  the  Dutch  into  war  and  finally 
abridged  the  Revolution. 

Jones  fought  with  daring  determination  because 
he  believed  he  was  right  and  meant  to  win  for  the 
principles  he  loved.  After  the  Revolution  Jones 
lived  most  of  the  time  in  Russia  and  France.  He 
died  in  Paris  in  1792  and  was  buried  there.  At 
the  time  of  his  death  both  countries  claimed  him. 
Although  it  was  mostly  by  the  aid  of  France  that 
our  hero  fought  conspicuously,  he  fought  in  the 
service  and  for  the  cause  of  the  United  States  and 
it  was  fitting  that  his  remains  should  find  a  resting 
place  within  our  own  boundaries. 

SEARCH  FOR  HIS  BODY  IN  PARIS 

To  seek  for  the  body  of  Paul  Jones  in  the  great 
city  of  Paris  seemingly  at  the  outset  was  a  wild 
undertaking.  That  General  Horace  Porter  was 
occupied  at  his  own  personal  expense,  six  years  with 
the  quest,  is  evidence  of  the  difficulties  he  ex- 
perienced. 

The  first  step  in  the  search,  which  began  in 
June,  1899,  was  to  go  through  all  writings  related 
to  Paul  Jones.  This  gave  three  important  data. 


122         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

From  the  first,  he  concluded  that  Jones  must  have 
been  buried  in  the  old  abandoned  cemetery  of  St. 
Louis,  located  in  the  northeastern  section  of  mod- 
ern Paris.  So  the  site  of  the  burial  place  of  Jones 
having  been  definitely  determined  in  February, 
1905,  General  Porter  began  a  careful  examination 
of  the  small  cemetery.  Because  of  the  information 
that  Jones  was  buried  in  a  leaden  coffin,  only  leaden 
ones  were  considered.  On  the  thirty-first  of  March 
the  body  of  Jones  was  discovered. 

The  body  had  been  packed  in  hay  and  straw, 
and  as  the  coffin  had  been  filled  with  alcohol  the 
body  was  well  preserved  after  being  buried  113 
years.  The  preservation  was  made  so  that  if  the 
United  States  should  claim  his  remains,  they  might 
be  removed  easily. 

The  identification  of  the  body  discovered  in  the 
leaden  casket  by  General  Porter  as  that  of  Paul 
Jones  is  complete  in  every  respect.  The  facial 
measurements  compared  with  Houdon's  life  size 
statue  of  Jones  were  identical;  the  linen  cap  was 
marked  with  a  J  looked  at  in  one  direction  and  P 
from  another  angle;  Jones  was  5  feet  7  inches  in 
height,  so  was  this  body;  finally  Jones  had  pneu- 
monia in  left  lung  while  in  Russia  in  1789,  and 
died  of  Bright's  disease.  The  autopsy  revealed 


AMERICAN  MASON  123 

that  this  body  had  pneumonia  in  the  left  lung  and 
died  of  Bright's  disease. 

From  Paris  the  body  was  taken  to  Cherbourg; 
and  after  ceremonies  was  put  on  board  the  United 
States  Flagship  Brooklyn,  bound  for  the  United 
States.  On  Monday  July  24,  1905,  the  body  of 
America's  greatest  naval  hero  was  taken  from  the 
ship  to  the  Naval  Academy  and  placed  in  a  tempo- 
rary vault. 

HIS  BURIAL  AT  ANNAPOLIS 

The  ceremonies  at  the  Academy  were  simply 
of  a  naval  character  but  the  final  ceremonies  were 
national  which  took  place  at  Annapolis  on  April 
24,  1906.  This  date  being  the  anniversary  of 
the  capture  of  the  English  man-of-war  Drake 
by  the  United  States  ship  Ranger  in  command 
of  John  Paul  Jones.  This  was  celebrated  by 
United  States  and  France  together.  Jones  was  the 
first  naval  officer  to  be  buried  within  the  walls  of 
the  United  States  Naval  Academy. 


THE  GROVE  HOUSE 

rE  Grove  House  was  built  in  the  year  1764, 
by  Willie  Jones,  and  was  the  seat  of  the  Jones 
family  in  North  Carolina.  The  wood  was  brought 
from  England,  and  brown  sandstone  for  the  steps 
from  Scotland.  The  steps  were  arranged  in  a 
semicircle  around  the  porch. 

This  beautiful  mansion  was  located  in  the  middle 
of  a  park  of  a  hundred  acres.  It  lies  near  the  rail- 
road station,  while  the  town  is  in  the  opposite  di- 
rection. This  site  of  "The  Grove"  slopes  gradu- 
ally to  the  old  stream  "Quankey."  A  pretty  pic- 
ture is  made  by  the  graceful  trees  and  shrubs  grow- 
ing along  the  stream  and  in  spring  there  is  a  great 
wilderness  of  mountain  laurel.  The  whole  land- 
scape is  bright  with  color. 

The  Atlantic  Coast  Line  Railroad  runs  in  front 
of  the  house,  which  is  of  the  type  of  architecture 
common  in  that  section  of  the  country  at  that  period. 
At  the  front  door  one  entered  an  ample  hall  con- 
taining a  large  open  fireplace,  on  either  side  were 

roomy  wings  used  as  chambers,  in  the  rear  an  im- 

124 


WASHINGTON  125 

mense  dining  hall  containing  another  great  hearth, 
and  lighted  on  the  side  by  six  long  windows,  with  a 
very  large  bay  window  at  one  end ;  this  bay  window 
was  noteworthy  in  that  it  took  up  almost  the  entire 
side  of  the  building  and  is  said  to  be  the  first  bay 
window  in  North  Carolina.  It  overlooked  a 
beautiful  flower  garden  and  beyond  a  wide  open 
field  with  a  circular  race  track,  one  of  the  most 
noted  in  the  south  at  that  time. 

Through  the  building  were  carved  mantels.  In 
many  rooms,  there  was  wainscoting  reaching  al- 
most to  the  ceiling,  polished  bannisters  and  deli- 
cate finishings  and  carvings  around  the  doors  and 
windows.  Beneath  the  entire  structure  was  a  large 
cellar. 

WILLIE  JONES  AND  MARY  MONTFORT 

Here  at  "The  Grove"  lived  two  of  America's 
really  great  and  noble  men  and  women.  In 
the  first  account  we  have  of  Willie  Jones'  early 
English  ancestor,  he  is  the  victim  of  the  "grand 
passion,"  and  the  hero  of  an  adventure  more  in 
keeping  with  mediaeval  chivalry  than  with  the  cal- 
culating age  in  which  he  lived.  The  tradition  is 
that  in  1702  Robin  Jones  came  from  Wales  to 
America  as  the  boatswain  of  a  man-of-war.  Land- 
ing at  Norfolk  he  met  and  loved  a  maiden,  who 
reciprocating  his  passion,  he  resolved  to  make  her 


126         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

his  bride.  Seeking  a  discharge  from  service  and 
failing  to  obtain  it,  he  resolved  to  sacrifice  fame, 
fortune,  and  perhaps  his  life,  for  the  object  of  his 
affections.  As  the  ship  sailed  out  of  port  he  cast 
himself  overboard  and  reaching  the  shore  in  safety 
claimed  the  reward  of  his  bravery.  His  coat  of 
arms  is  still  preserved  in  the  family,  and  its  em- 
blazonry bearing  a  ducal  impress  shows  that  he 
came  of  noble  blood.  His  deed  was  worthy  of  his 
lineage. 

From  this  short-lived  union — both  husband  and 
wife  dying  in  twelve  months  after  their  union — 
was  born  one  son  who  was  also  called  Robin,  after 
his  father.  He  was  a  true  scion  of  the  sturdy  stock, 
and  by  some  stroke  of  good  fortune  found  means  to 
go  to  Europe,  where  he  studied  law  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar.  Attracting  the  notice  of  and 
winning  the  esteem  of  Lord  Granville,  he  returned 
to  America  as  his  agent  and  attorney.  He  settled 
on  the  Roanoke,  and,  taking  fortune  at  its  flood, 
soon  rose  to  a  position  of  wealth  and  distinction. 

He  married  twice  and  had  four  children,  two  of 
whom,  Allen  and  Willie  (pronounced  Wily),  were 
among  the  most  talented  and  prominent  men  of 
their  day,  leading  spirits  in  all  public  affairs,  fear- 
less and  patriotic.  They  were  both  educated  at 
Eton,  England,  and  completed  their  education  by 


AMERICAN  MASON  127 

making  a  tour  of  Continental  Europe,  and  to- 
gether they  made  a  noble  struggle  for  the  cause  of 
American  independence. 

The  circumstances  of  Willie  Jones'  courtship 
and  marriage  are  like  those  of  his  grandfather,  and 
read  more  like  a  page  from  a  love  poem  than  a 
leaf  from  actual  history.  On  his  return  to  Halifax 
after  his  graduation  from  Eton,  his  guardian, 
Colonel  Joseph  Montfort,  rejoicing  over  the  birth 
of  an  infant  daughter,  made  a  joyous  home  coming 
for  his  favorite  ward.  The  fatted  calf  was  killed 
and  a  feast  was  made  in  his  honor.  In  the  exuber- 
ance of  his  spirits,  he  met  his  guest  with  the  laugh- 
ing announcement:  "Willie,  I  have  a  wife  for  you; 
come  and  see  her,"  at  the  same  time  exhibiting  tri- 
umphantly this  newly  arrived  wonder  from  baby- 
land.  The  said  Willie,  after  the  usual  congratula- 
tions, declared  his  willingness  to  receive  her  in 
that  capacity  when  she  should  have  attained  ma- 
ture years,  and  forthwith  proceeded,  in  the  same 
facetious  strain,  to  give  directions  for  her  educa- 
tion and  training. 

Later  she  actually  became  Mrs.  Willie  Jones,  the 
mistress  of  Grove  House,  where,  until  the  day  of 
her  death,  she  dispensed  that  generous  and  elegant 
hospitality  which  made  her  the  cynosure  of  all  eyes 
in  her  own  circle,  the  beloved  benefactress  of  her 


128         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

humble  neighbors,  and  an  angel  of  mercy  to  the 
wandering  mendicant-who  sought  charity  within  her 
gates.  She  combined  with  a  noble  and  devoted 
patriotism  much  brilliancy  of  wit  and  suavity  of 
manners,  and  notwithstanding  she  was  debarred  by 
her  sex  from  wielding  a  sword  in  defense  of  her 
country,  the  imperfect  records  of  those  stirring 
times  show  that  she  was  animated  by  true  zeal  and 
used  fearlessly  the  weapons  accorded  her  in  de- 
fense of  her  struggling  countrymen,  which  is  pre- 
served in  her  famous  tilt  with  Colonel  Tarleton, 

PRESENT  CONDITION  OF  THE  GROVE  HOUSE 

Nothing  is  now  standing  of  this  historic  and 
beautiful  old  colonial  mansion  except  the  two  chim- 
neys. But  this  neglect  is  soon  to  be  remedied,  for 
The  Elizabeth  Ashe  Chapter  of  the  Daughters  of 
the  American  Revolution,  Halifax,  North  Carolina, 
of  which  Miss  Ursula  M.  Daniels  is  Regent,  has 
about  $5000  in  hand  as  a  beginning  towards  the 
restoration  of  this  beautiful  old  mansion  and 
the  grounds  as  they  were  in  the  days  when  be- 
fore a  brilliant  company  in  the  magnificent  ball- 
room of  "The  Grove  House"  John  Paul  announced 
to  the  assemblage  that  he  would  henceforth  be 
known  as  John  Paul  Jones. 


AMERICAN  MASON  129 

ELIZABETH   MONTFORT  ASHE 

This  sketch  would  by  no  means  be  complete 
without  a  short  account  of  Grand  Master  Mont- 
fort's  other  celebrated  daughter,  Elizabeth,  who 
married  Lieutenant-Colonel  John  Baptista  Ashe,  an 
officer  in  the  First  North  Carolina  Continental 
Regiment.  He  was  in  Washington's  Army  under 
Colonel  Thomas  Clark,  and  took  part  in  the  battle 
of  Eutaw  Springs.  He  remained  in  the  service 
until  the  close  of  the  war. 

The  home  of  Colonel  and  Mrs.  Ashe  was  on  the 
outskirts  of  the  town  of  Halifax,  in  a  southern 
direction.  Their  dwelling  like  much  of  the  archi- 
tecture of  that  day  was  a  story  and  a  half  high, 
with  dormer  windows.  In  front  of  it  was  a  beauti- 
ful grove  of  oak  and  elm  trees.  In  this  home  they 
spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives. 

It  is  her  famous  rebuke  to  Colonel  Tarleton's 
sneering  remark  concerning  Colonel  William  Wash- 
ington that  will  keep  her  memory  ever  green  in  the 
hearts  of  Americans.  The  circumstances  are  as 
follows:  During  the  stay  of  General  Leslie  and  the 
British  troops  in  Halifax,  several  of  the  officers 
were  quartered  at  the  house  of  Colonel  Ashe,  and 
Mrs.  Ashe  was  in  the  habit  of  playing  backgam- 
mon with  them.  Among  them  was  Tarleton,  who 


130         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

often  conversed  with  her,  and  was  especially  fond 
of  indulging  his  sarcastic  wit  in  her  presence  at  the 
expense  of  her  favorite  hero,  Colonel  Washington. 
On  one  occasion  he  observed  jestingly  that  he  would 
like  to  have  an  opportunity  of  seeing  that  man,  who 
he  had  understood  was  so  very  small.  Mrs.  Ashe 
replied  quickly,  "If  you  had  looked  behind  you, 
Colonel,  at  the  battle  of  the  Cowpens,  you  would 
have  had  that  pleasure." 

This  retort  by  Mrs.  Ashe  is  equalled  by  that 
made  by  her  sister,  Mrs.  Willie  Jones,  upon  an- 
other occasion  to  Colonel  Tarleton.  Upon  hearing 
this  proud  Briton  speak  in  contemptuous  terms  of 
Colonel  William  Washington,  characterizing  him 
as  a  common  illiterate  fellow  scarcely  able  to  write 
his  name,  Mrs.  Jones  replied  with  ready  wit:  "You 
will  admit  though,  Colonel,  that  he  knows  how  to 
make  his  mark."  This  apt  and  pointed  allusion  to 
the  sabre  cut  he  had  received  at  the  battle  of  Cow- 
pens  from  the  sword  of  the  gallant  American  put 
a  speedy  check  to  the  insolence  of  the  arrogant 
Englishman. 

After  the  Revolution  political  honors  were 
heaped  upon  Colonel  Ashe  without  stint.  He  was 
Speaker  of  the  House  of  North  Carolina  Commons, 
elected  member  of  Congress,  and  finally  was  elected 
Governor,  but  died  before  filling  that  office.  Mrs. 


AMERICAN  MASON  131 

Ashe  survived  her  husband  nearly  ten  years.  In 
1812  she  was  thrown  from  her  vehicle,  and  killed 
almost  instantly. 

So  passed  from  earth  Elizabeth  Montfort  Ashe, 
whose  beauty  and  wit  charmed  the  circles  in  which 
she  moved.  Yet  little  save  that  memory  remains. 
When  her  only  son  went  to  seek  his  fortune  in 
another  state,  the  old  home  with  the  adjacent  lands 
passed  into  the  possession  of  others,  the  house  was 
demolished,  and  her  body  rests  in  a  grave  un- 
marked and  unknown. 

"So  sleeps  the  pride  of  former  days, 

So  glory's  thrill  is  o'er, 
And  hearts  that  once  beat  high  for  praise 
Now  feel  that  pulse  no  more." 


PART  III 
THE  WASHINGTON  FAMILY 


EARLY  SETTLEMENT  AT  WAKEFIELD 

COLONEL  JOHN  WASHINGTON,  GREAT-GRANDFATHER 
OF  GEORGE  WASHINGTON 

WASHINGTON  came  of  a  race  of  soldiers 
and  captains  of  industry,  an  active,  vigor- 
ous, and  short-lived  race.  Colonel  John  Wash- 
ington, the  great-grandfather  of  George  Washing- 
ton, with  his  wife,  two  children,  and  his  brother 
Lawrence,  emigrated  from  South  Cave  in  the  East 
Riding  of  Yorkshire,  near  the  city  of  Beverly, 
England,  in  1657,  during  the  Cromwellian  times, 
seeking  the  New  World  because  they  were  loyalists. 
They  came  by  way  of  the  West  Indies  to  James- 
town, Virginia,  about  1659,  and  settled  on  lands 
between  the  Rappahannock  and  the  Potomac,  in 
what  is  today  Westmoreland  County,  about  seventy- 
five  miles  below  our  present  national  capital.  He 

acquired  much  land,  as  well  as  fame  and  title  as  an 

132 


WASHINGTON  133 

Indian  fighter,  and  was  a  noted  man  in  his  time, 
full  of  enterprise  and  energy. 

His  wife  and  both  children  died  soon  after 
their  arrival  in  Virginia,  and  in  1660  he  married 
as  his  second  wife,  Anne  Pope,  daughter  of  a 
neighboring  planter,  whose  father's  residence  was 
probably  adjacent  to  Wakefield,  his  residence.  By 
this  wife  he  had  four  children,  Lawrence  (1661), 
John  (1663),  Elizabeth  (1665),  and  Anne  (1667). 

He  was  an  extensive  planter,  and  was  also  asso- 
ciated with  Nicholas  Spencer  in  bringing  colonists 
to  Virginia  from  the  mother  country.  For  such 
services  he  and  Spencer  received  from  Lord  Cul- 
pepper  five  thousand  acres  of  land  on  the  Potomac, 
between  Epsewasson  and  Little  Hunting  Creek,  and 
now  known  as  Mount  Vernon. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  House  of  Burgesses  in 
1665,  was  commissioned  colonel  and  proved  his 
valor  at  the  time  of  Bacon's  Rebellion,  and  also  in 
putting  down  the  Indian  incursions,  which  were  of 
yearly  occurrence.  Colonel  Washington  com- 
manded the  joint  forces  of  the  Maryland  and  Vir- 
ginia Rangers,  and  ended  for  all  time  the  depre- 
dations and  massacres  of  the  redmen  east  of  the 
Blue  Ridge.  The  last  stand  of  the  Indians  in  this 
territory  was  made  on  what  was  afterwards  known 
as  the  River  Farm  of  Mount  Vernon. 


134         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

Colonel  Washington  died  in  1677,  at  the  age  of 
54,  after  eighteen  years  of  enterprise  and  industry 
in  America,  and  lies  buried  at  Bridge's  Creek, 
near  Wakefield.  His  will  was  probated  in  West- 
moreland County,  and  he  left  ample  provision  for 
his  family.  To  his  elder  son  Lawrence  he  devised 
the  homestead,  Wakefield,  and  his  share  of  the  five 
thousand  acres  held  in  common  with  Colonel  Nicho- 
las Spencer  at  Mount  Vernon. 

He  provided  further  that  a  tablet  inscribed  with 
the  Ten  Commandments  should  be  presented  to  the 
church  at  Wakefield  in  Washington  Parish,  named 
after  him.  This  shows  that  Washington,  the  immi- 
grant, was  not  only  a  very  wealthy  and  prominent 
man,  but  also  very  pious,  and  every  available 
source  of  information  shows  that  piety  was  a  strik- 
ing characteristic  of  his  early  descendants. 

LAWRENCE  WASHINGTON, 
GRANDFATHER  OF   GEORGE  WASHINGTON 

Lawrence  Washington,  the  oldest  child  of  Colo- 
nel John  Washington  of  Wakefield  by  his  second 
wife,  Anne  Pope,  was  born  at  Wakefield,  West- 
moreland County,  Virginia,  about  1661.  He  mar- 
ried Mildred,  daughter  of  Colonel  Augustine 
Warner,  of  Gloucester  County.  He  died  at  his 
residence,  Wakefield,  in  March,  1698,  at  the  age 


AMERICAN  MASON  135 

of  thirty-seven,  and  was  buried  at  Bridge's  Creek 
in  the  family  vault. 

His  children  were  all  born  at  Wakefield;  John, 
1692;  Augustine,  father  of  George  Washington, 
1694;  and  Mildred,  1696. 

Little  is  known  of  his  career,  but  his  will,  pro- 
bated March  30,  1698,  in  Westmoreland  County, 
shows  him  to  have  been  wealthy.  To  his  eldest 
son,  John,  he  gave  the  ancestral  home,  Wakefield; 
to  Augustine  he  left  large  landed  interests  up  the 
valleys;  to  his  daughter,  Mildred,  the  twenty-five 
hundred  acres  on  Hunting  Creek  and  the  Potomac, 
which  had  been  set  apart  to  him  in  a  partition  with 
the  Spencer  heirs.  These  twenty-five  hundred 
acres  are  the  part  of  the  Mount  Vernon  estate 
which  immediately  surrounds  the  mansion  house 
and  were  purchased  by  Augustine  Washington 
from  his  sister  Mildred. 

AUGUSTINE  WASHINGTON, 
THE  FATHER  OF  GEORGE  WASHINGTON 

Augustine  Washington,  the  father  of  George 
Washington,  was  the  second  child  of  Lawrence 
Washington  and  Mildred  Warner,  born  in  1694. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-one,  April  12,  1715,  he  mar- 
ried Jane,  daughter  of  Caleb  Butler,  an  eminent 
lawyer  and  practitioner  of  Westmoreland  County, 


136         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

Virginia.  He  purchased  of  his  elder  and  only 
brother,  John  (then  living  in  Gloucester  County), 
the  old  family  mansion,  Wakefield,  and  began 
his  married  life  as  proprietor  of  the  ancestral 
home. 

The  first  wife  of  Augustine  Washington,  Jane 
Butler,  died  and  was  buried  in  the  family  vault  at 
Bridge's  Creek  in  1728,  and  on  March  6,  1730,  he 
married  as  his  second  wife,  Mary  Ball,  daughter  of 
Colonel  Joseph  Ball,  of  Lancaster  County,  Vir- 
ginia, whose  residence,  "Epping  Forest,"  was  situ- 
ated at  the  mouth  of  the  Rappahannock  River. 
Mary  Ball,  affectionately  known  as  "The  Rose  of 
Epping  Forest,"  was  a  splendid  specimen  of 
womanhood.  Tall  and  stately,  with  brown  hair, 
and  large  and  penetrating  brown  eyes,  clear-cut 
features,  and  a  serene  intelligent  expression,  the 
very  prototype  of  her  distinguished  son,  she  was 
a  woman  of  particularly  striking  appearance,  far 
above  the  ordinary  in  physical  perfection.  But 
comely  and  attractive  as  she  was,  these  personal 
charms  of  form  and  feature  sink  into  insignificance 
when  compared  with  the  beauties  of  her  well- 
poised  mind,  and  resolute  Christian  character. 
Pure  of  heart,  she  transmitted  to  her  children  the 
sublime  lessons  of  her  exemplary  life.  Possess- 
ing in  a  remarkable  degree  the  power  of  imparting 


AMERICAN  MASON  137 

to  others  the  strength  and  virtue  of  her  own  char- 
acter, she  was  by  nature  equipped  to  train  chil- 
dren in  the  highest  ideals. 

Augustine  Washington  was  well  educated,  ac- 
tive, a  successful  business  man  of  large  affairs, 
and  like  his  son,  George,  a  true  captain  of  indus- 
try. Not  only  was  he  sent  to  Appleby  in  England 
for  what  we  would  now  consider  a  high  school 
education,  but  he  sent  there  his  two  eldest  sons, 
Augustine  and  Lawrence,  born  of  his  first  marriage, 
and  undoubtedly  would  have  sent  his  third  son, 
George,  but  for  his  untimely  death,  April  12, 
1743,  when  but  forty-nine  years  of  age. 

Augustine  Washington  was  a  man  of  importance 
in  the  community.  He  owned  six  plantations  on 
the  Rappahannock  and  the  Potomac  and  the  coun- 
try back  of  them.  He  owned  the  ferry  across  the 
Rappahannock  at  Fredericksburg,  and  was  part 
proprietor  and  manager  of  the  iron-mine  and 
works  at  Accotink,  in  which  he  had  a  twelfth  inter- 
est, also  representing  the  remaining  owners,  a 
company  with  headquarters  in  London. 

He  was  elected  a  member  of  the  board  of  trus- 
tees of  the  town  of  Fredericksburg  in  1742,  and 
so  was  a  proprietor  of  land  in  that  city  as  well  as 
being  resident  of  what  we  now  know  as  the  Cherry 
Tree  Farm  across  the  Rappahannock  from  the  city. 


138         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

There  he  lived  after  the  first  house  which  he  built 
at  Mount  Vernon  was  destroyed  by  fire. 

Like  his  grandfather,  Colonel  John  Washington, 
Augustine  Washington  engaged  in  transporting  emi- 
grants from  England  to  Virginia,  and  among  them 
found  a  schoolmaster  for  his  son  George.  Parson 
Weems's  legends  indicate  that  he  took  a  keen  in- 
terest in  the  moral  training  of  his  son,  George,  and 
was  one  of  the  chief  factors  in  his  mental  and 
moral  development.  No  doubt  the  mental  charac- 
teristics of  the  father  descended  to  and  were  de- 
veloped in  the  boy. 

After  a  brief  illness,  Augustine  Washington 
died,  leaving  a  large  and  valuable  landed  and 
personal  estate,  and  by  his  last  will  amply  pro- 
vided for  Lawrence  and  Augustine,  sons  by  his 
first  marriage  (to  Jane  Butler),  and  his  second 
wife,  Mary  Ball  and  her  children,  George,  Eliza- 
beth, John  Augustine,  Charles,  and  Samuel. 

To  Lawrence  he  left  the  Mount  Vernon  twenty-five 
hundred  acres  with  the  mill  he  had  built  thereon,  and  the 
big  brick  barn,  still  standing,  together  with  some  land  at 
Maddox  Creek  in  Westmoreland  County,  and  his  interest 
in  several  iron  works. 

To  his  daughter  Betty,  afterwards  the  wife  of  Colonel 
Fielding  Lewis,  he  gave  two  negro  children  and  required 
Lawrence  to  pay  her  four  hundred  pounds  sterling  in 
cash. 


AMERICAN  MASON  139 

To  Augustine  he  gave  Wakefield  and  some  negroes, 
three  of  which  Lawrence  was  to  buy  from  the  proceeds 
of  the  iron  works  and  present  to  him. 

To  John  Augustine  he  left  seven  hundred  acres  on 
Maddox  Creek  in  Westmoreland  County,  and  to  Charles 
he  left  seven  hundred  acres  in  Prince  William  County. 

To  George  he  willed  the  Cherry  Tree  Farm  on  the 
Rappahannock  opposite  Fredericksburg  and  a  share  in 
other  lands,  as  well  as  ten  negroes. 

To  Samuel  he  gave  seven  hundred  acres  on  Chotank 
Creek  in  Stafford  and  one  half  of  lands  on  Deep  Run. 

To  his  wife,  Mary  Ball,  he  left  the  crops  "made  on 
Bridge's  Creek,  Chotank  and  Rappahannock  waters"  at 
the  time  of  his  death,  and  the  priveledge  of  working  the 
"Bridge's  Creek  quarters"  for  the  term  of  five  years  after 
his  decease,  during  which  time  she  "might  establish  quar- 
ters on  Deep  Run." 

He  required  Lawrence  and  Augustine  to  pay  half  of 
his  debts  and  bequeathed  to  them  one  half  of  what  was 
owing  to  him.  In  a  codicil  he  left  to  George  "one  lot 
of  land  in  the  town  of  Fredericksburg." 

Being  curious  to  know  where  this  lot  was,  the 
old  records  at  Spotsylvania  Courthouse  were 
searched  with  the  following  results: 

Deed  Book  C.,  Page  490,  Henry  Willis'  Executors 
conveyed  to  Augustine  Washington,  of  King  George 
county,  lots  33  and  34.  for  which  he  paid  L.  44  cur- 
rency money  of  Virginia.  The  deed  is  dated  June  4, 
1741,  and  recorded  Sept.  1,  1741. 

Deed    Book   D,   page   3,   John   Waller  conveyed   to 


140        WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

Augustine  Washington  lot  40,  for  which  he  paid  L  26, 
17s,  6d.  Dated  March  3,  1741,  and  recorded  July 
7,  1741. 

These  are  the  lots  which  enabled  Augustine 
Washington  to  be  elected  one  of  the  trustees  of 
Fredericksburg  in  1742,  just  one  year  before  he 
died.  In  all  likelihood  he  bought  these  lots  to 
be  able  to  be  a  trustee  of  Fredericksburg,  for  the 
law  was  that  the  trustees  must  own  property  in 
the  city  of  Fredericksburg.  These  are  also  the 
lots  he  gave  his  son  George  in  his  will. 

Lots  33  and  34  are  on  the  corner  of  Wolfe  and 
Maine  streets,  uptown  corner,  running  through  to 
Princess  Anne.  The  present  postoffice  is  on  lot  40. 

In  Book  E,  page  866,  Lawrence  Washington,  of  Fair- 
fax, conveyed  from  the  Augustine  Washington  estate, 
King  George  county,  to  his  brother,  George  Washing- 
ton, of  King  George  county,  lots  33,  34  and  40,  now 
the  property  of  George  under  the  will  of  Augustine 
Washington.  These  lots  are  one-half  acre  each.  The 
conveyance  of  these  lots  is  dated  June  17,  1752,  and 
recorded  July  7,  1752. 

And  hereby  hangs  some  interesting  history. 
Lawrence  Washington  came  from  the  Barbadoes  in 
May,  1752,  to  die  of  consumption  July  26,  1752. 
Lawrence  evidently  wished  George  to  come  into 
possession  of  this  property  before  he  died.  He  had 


AMERICAN  MASON  141 

already  made  him  an  executor  of  his  own  will,  and 
in  the  event  of  the  death  of  his  only  living  daughter 
George  was  to  be  one  of  the  heirs  of  Lawrence 
Washington's  estate.  So  while  practically  on  his 
death  bed,  June  17,  1752,  he  conveyed  these  lots 
to  George: 

Should  one  be  curious  to  know  what  George 
Washington  did  with  these  lots,  it  will  be  found  in 

Deed  Book  E,  page  109,  that  on  April  2,  1753, 
George  Washington,  of  King  George  county,  conveyed 
lots  33  and  34  to  John  Murdock,  Andrew  Cochrane, 
William  Cranford,  jr.,  Allen  Dreghorn,  Robert  Bogle, 
jr.,  all  of  Glasgow,  in  Scotland.  Each  lot  one-half  acre. 
In  Deed  Book  E,  page  231,  Feb.  4,  1755,  George 
Washington,  of  Fairfax  county,  conveys  to  John  Thorn- 
ton, a  cousin,  lot  40.  This  deed  is  signed  in  the  hand- 
writing of  George  Washington  in  the  deed  book. 

These  two  last  deeds  are  very  important  to  the 
historian  because  they  fix  beyond  a  doubt  the  time 
when  George  Washington  ceased  to  be  a  citizen 
of  King  George  county  and  became  a  citizen  of 
Fairfax  county.  He  did  so  between  the  years  1753 
and  1755,  after  he  became  the  owner  of  Mount 
Vernon. 

In  Book  E,  page  866,  we  find  that  Fielding  and 
Betty  Lewis  sold  to  George  Washington,  of  Fairfax 


142         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

county,  lots  111  and  113.  The  deed  is  dated  June  1, 
1761. 

In  Book  G,  page  316,  Oct.  13,  1769,  George  and  Mar- 
tha Washington,  of  Fairfax,  conveyed  to  James  Mercer 
two  lots  in  Fredericksburg,  "extending  down  the  hill" 
to  contain  one  acre,  adjoining  two  lots  bought  by  said 
Mercer  from  Fielding  Lewis.  Lots  111  and  113  are  on 
the  west  side  between  Fauquier  and  Hawke  streets. 

The  last  land  purchased  by  George  Washing- 
ton in  Fredericksburg  was  September  18,  1772, 
and  is  recorded  in 

Deed  Book  H,  page  224,  from  Michael  Robinson  and 
Esther,  his  wife,  to  George  Washington,  of  Fairfax,  lots 
107  and  108,  for  which  he  paid  £225.  These  lots  were 
previously  owned  by  Fielding  Lewis  and  had  been  con- 
veyed to  Robinson  in  1761. 

Lots  107  and  108  are  on  the  corner  of  Charles 
and  Lewis,  running  through  to  Prince  Edward. 
Lot  107  is  the  site  of  the  Mary  Washington  house. 
It  fixes  an  important  date,  in  all  probability,  when 
Washington's  mother  came  to  live  in  Fredericks- 
burg. It  is  stated  in  the  Life  of  George  Mason 
that  Mary  Washington  moved  to  Fredericksburg 
in  1750,  but  I  doubt  it.  Washington  doubtless 
moved  his  mother  to  Fredericksburg  during  the 
days  preceding  the  Revolution  to  be  near  her 
daughter  at  Kenmore,  and  for  protection  from  law- 
lessness, which  he  feared  might  be  prevalent. 


AMERICAN  MASON  143 

Mrs.  Washington  enjoyed  not  only  the  specific 
provision  above  mentioned,  but  had  the  use  of  her 
children's  estates  until  they  arrived  at  twenty-one 
years  of  age.  In  fact,  George  Washington  said 
after  her  death,  more  than  forty-six  years  later, 
that  he  had  never  received  anything  from  his 
father's  estate  during  the  life  of  his  mother. 

While  he  was  only  a  boy,  he  earned  his  own 
livelihood  and  for  a  time  his  mother  was  helped 
by  him.  It  probably  never  occurred  to  the  gen- 
erous Lawrence  nor  to  William  Fairfax,  the  early 
friend  and  associate  of  her  husband,  that  the  cloud 
of  poverty  had  gathered  around  the  home  of  Widow 
Washington.  Willing  hands  would  have  extended 
prompt  and  liberal  response  had  an  intimation 
come  of  such  a  condition,  but  the  proud  soul  of 
Mary  Washington  could  not  bend  to  supplication. 
So  she  waited  the  coming  of  George  who  tells  the 
story  of  his  mother's  want  only  by  implication  in 
the  following  letter  to  his  brother  Lawrence  in 

Williamsburg: 

May  5,  1749. 

Dear  Brother:  I  hope  your  cough  is  much  mended  since 
I  saw  you  last,  if  so  likewise  hope  you  have  given  over 
the  thought  of  leaving  Virginia. 

As  there  is  not  an  absolute  occasion  of  my  coming 
down,  hope  you  will  get  deeds  acknowledged  without  me; 
my  horse  is  in  very  poor  order  to  undertake  such  a  jour- 


144         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

ney,  and  is  no  likelihood  of  mending  for  want  of  corn 
sufficient  to  support  him;  tho'  if  there  be  any  certainty  in 
the  Assemblys  not  rising  until  the  latter  end  of  May,  will, 
if  I  can,  be  down  by  that;  As  my  Mother's  term  of  years 
is  out  at  that  place,  at  Bridge's  Creek,  she  designs  to 
settle  a  quarter  on  that  piece  at  Deep  Run,  but  seems 
backwards  of  doing  it  until  the  Right  is  made  good,  for 
fear  of  accidents. 

It  is  reported  here  that  Mr.  Spotswood  intends  to  put 
down  the  Ferry  that  is  kept  at  the  Wharf  where  he  now 
lives,  and  that  Major  Francis  Talliaferro  intends  to  peti- 
tion the  Assembly  for  an  act  to  have  it  kept  from  his 
house  over  against  my  Mother's  Quarter,  and  right 
through  the  best  of  the  land;  whereas  he  can  have  no 
other  view  in  it  but  for  the  Coveniences  of  a  small  Mill 
he  has  on  the  Water  side,  that  will  not  grind  above  three 
Months  in  ye  twelve,  and  the  great  inconveniency  and 
prejudice  it  will  be  to  us,  hope  it  will  not  be  granted;  be- 
sides, I  do  not  see  where  he  can  possibly  have  a  landing 
place  on  his  side  that  will  ever  be  sufficient  for  a  lawful 
landing  (by  reason  of  the  highness  of  the  Banks) ;  I  think 
we  suffer  enough  with  the  Free  Ferry,  without  being 
troubled  with  such  an  unjust  and  iniquitous  Petition  as 
that,  but  hope  as  it  is  only  a  flying  report  he  will  consider 
better  of  it  and  drop  his  pretensions.  I  should  be  glad 
(if  it  is  not  too  much  trouble)  to  hear  from  you  in  the 
meanwhile  remain  with  my  love  to  my  Sister,  Dear  Sir, 
Your  affectionate  Brother, 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON. 


AMERICAN  MASON  145 

Augustine  Washington  had  left  his  widow  in 
comfortable  circumstances,  for,  in  addition  to 
other  legacies,  he  had  provided  an  income  for  five 
years  from  the  estate  at  Wakefield,  but  this  had  now 
expired.  Poor  crops  and  a  plethora  of  slaves, 
which  they  could  not  sell,  had  sapped  the  resources 
of  the  widow  until  poverty  darkened  the  door  of  her 
humble  home  and  placed  an  added  responsibility 
and  care  upon  the  shoulders  of  her  son  George, 
who,  in  this  as  in  all  the  other  responsibilities  life 
placed  upon  him,  more  than  measured  up  to  the 
requirements.  It  was  to  earn  bread  for  himself, 
and  help  his  mother  that  he  roamed  among  the  In- 
dians and  surveyed  my  Lord's  lands. 


GEORGE  WASHINGTON 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON  was  the  eldest  son 
of  Augustine  Washington  by  his  second 
marriage,  to  Mary  Ball,  and  was  born  at  Wake- 
field,  February  22,  1732.  It  is  well  known  that 
he  inherited  his  physical  characteristics  from  his 
mother,  together  with  certain  elements  in  his  dis- 
position. He  had  a  hasty  temper  which  he  learned 

^  to  control  in  later  years,  though  never  perfectly  in 
command  of  himself  at  all  times,  for  under  great 
provocation  he  was  given  to  vigorous  oaths  and 
terrible  outbursts  of  passion  to  which  Jefferson 
alludes,  and  one  of  which  Mr.  Lear  describes.  Yet 
he  realized  his  faults,  kept  the  faith  he  pledged 
with  his  affections,  and  could  and  did  apologize 

\  when  he  exceeded  a  just  anger.  Two  of  the  great- 
est qualities  of  Washington's  whole  career,  integrity 
and  enterprise,  were  probably  acquired  chiefly 
from  his  father,  for  it  was  he  who  had  been  abroad 
for  his  education,  went  repeatedly  to  England  on 
business,  "adventured"  in  immigrants,  plantations, 
and  iron-works,  and  was  the  trusted  agent  of  for- 
eign capital.  He  also  donated  four  hundred  acres 

146 


WAKEFIELD 

This  Monument  Marks  the  Spot  where  George  Washington  was 
Born  February  22,  1732,  in  Westmoreland  County,  Va.,  on 
the  Potomac  River  40  Miles  from  Fredericksburg,  Va.,  in 
the  "Mansion  at  Wakefield,"  as  Washington  Himself  De- 
scribes it.  The  Print  of  a  Small  and  Insignificant  building 
which  Has  Had  Wide  Circulation  as  the  House  in  which 
Washington  was  Born  is  "Imaginary." 


WASHINGTON  147 

of  land  to  found  a  public  school  in  Westmoreland 
County.  He  was  the  Captain  of  his  own  vessel  as 
well  as  of  the  industries  of  his  neighborhood. 

HIS  TWO  YEARS  AT  WAKEFIELD,  1732-1734 

George  Washington  continued  to  live  at  Wake- 
field  from  his  birth  in  1732  until  about  the  close 
of  1734,  when,  "owing  to  sickness  in  his  family," 
his  father  moved  to  the  highlands  of  the  upper 
Potomac  and  established  his  residence  at  Epse- 
wasson  or  Hunting  Creek  Estate,  then  in  Prince 
William,  now  Fairfax  County.  Thus  begins  in  the 
latter  part  of  1734  the  occupation  by  the  Washing- 
ton family  of  what  is  known  today  as  Mount 
Vernon. 

THE   FIVE  YEARS  AT   MOUNT  VERNON,    1734-1739 

Here  George  Washington  lived  until  the  house 
was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1739,  when  on  account  of 
its  destruction  his  father  moved  to  Pine  Grove 
Farm,  now  known  as  the  Cherry  Tree  Farm,  on 
the  Rappahannock  River,  then  in  King  George  but 
now  Stafford  County,  opposite  Fredericksburg. 

FOUR  YEARS  AT  PINE  GROVE  FARM,   1739-1743 

His  father  lived  only  a  few  years  after  moving 
to  Pine  Grove  Farm,  dying  after  a  brief  illness, 


14$         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

April  12,  1743,  just  after  George  had  entered  upon 
his  eleventh  year.  His  father  died  in  the  prime  of 
life,  having  contracted  a  violent  cold  from  ex- 
posure which,  notwithstanding  his  robust  consti- 
tution, resulted  in  a  complication  of  diseases  very 
similar  to  the  one  which  caused  the  death  of  his 
illustrious  son  in  the  latter  part  of  the  century. 

FOUR  YEARS  WITH   HIS  HALF-BROTHER  AUGUSTINE, 

1743-1747 

Immediately  after  the  death  of  his  father,  he 
went  to  live  with  his  half-brother,  Augustine,  at 
Wakefield.  Here  he  found  a  very  comfortable 
and  luxurious  home;  for  Augustine,  having  mar- 
ried a  very  wealthy  lady,  was  living  in  great  state, 
had  numerous  servants,  an  elegantly  furnished 
house  and  finely  stocked  farm.  Thus  favorably 
situated,  George  continued  his  studies  under  an 
excellent  teacher,  Mr.  Williams,  for  several  years, 
during  which  time  he  was  preparing  himself  to  be 
a  surveyor.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  was  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  best  in  the  colony  of  Virginia. 

HIS  ROMANTIC  CAREER 

From  1748,  his  home  was  with  his  half-brother, 
Lawrence,  at  Mount  Vernon.  The  relationship  of 
the  two  was  of  the  warmest  nature,  in  fact  the  af- 


AMERICAN  MASON  149 

fection  of  Lawrence  for  his  half -brother  George 
being  almost  that  of  a  father.  So  solicitous  was 
Lawrence  of  his  brother's  welfare  and  such  was  his 
confidence  in  his  judgment  that  he  lost  no  oppor- 
tunity to  advance  the  interest  of  George  in  private 
and  public  life.  He  confided  to  him  his  most  ex- 
clusive private  affairs,  keeping  him  under  his  per- 
sonal observation  and  tutelage  at  Mount  Vernon 
whenever  possible,  with  the  result  that  at  twenty- 
two  years  of  age,  George  Washington  was  one  of  *V 
the  rich  men  of  Virginia,  the  idol  of  the  Colony, 
and  one  of  the  few  Americans  who  was  as  well  and 
as  favorably  known  in  England  as  in  America. 
His  own  personal  worth,  the  love  and  confidence 
of  his  brother  and  friends,  the  wisdom  of  his 
mother,  an  overruling  providence,  and  the  acci- 
dents of  fortune  were  so  mingled  in  his  career  that 
it  makes  one  of  the  most  fascinating  romances  in 
American  history. 

It  begins  with  the  bitterest  disappointment  of 
his  life,  caused  by  his  mother's  objection  to  his 
entering  the  British  Navy.  Lawrence,  solicitous  of 
his  younger  brother's  future  welfare  and  with  an 
earnest  desire  to  place  him  in  a  position  where  his 
manifest  abilities  would  ultimately  win  promotion, 
secured  for  George,  through  the  influence  and  as- 
sistance of  his  father-in-law  (Sir  William  Fair- 


150         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

fax)  an  appointment  as  midshipman  in  the  British 
Navy.  This,  however,  did  not  meet  with  the  ap- 
proval of  George's  mother,  who  positively  refused 
to  consent  to  a  long  separation  from  her  eldest 
boy,  neither  did  she  relish  the  idea  of  his  becom- 
ing a  sailor. 

In  vain  did  Lawrence  and  Sir  William  Fairfax 
try  to  change  her  decision.  The  following  letter 
from  her  brother,  Joseph  Ball,  decided  her  not  to 
let  George  enter  the  British  Navy. 

Stratford  By  Bow,  London,  19th  May,  1747. 
Dear  Sister:  I  understand  that  you  advise  and  have 
some  thoughts  of  putting  your  son  George  to  sea.  I  think 
he  had  better  be  put  apprentice  to  a  tinker,  for  a  common 
sailor  before  the  mast  has  by  no  means  the  common  lib- 
erty of  the  subject;  for  they  will  press  him  from  a  ship 
where  he  has  fifty  shillings  a  month  and  make  him  take 
three  and  twenty,  and  cut  and  slash  him  like  a  negro,  or 
rather  like  a  dog.  And  as  to  any  considerable  preferment 
in  the  navy,  it  is  not  to  be  expected;  there  are  so  many 
always  gaping  for  it  here  who  have  interest  and  he  has 
none.  And  if  he  should  get  to  be  master  of  a  Virginia 
ship  (which  will  be  very  difficult  to  do),  a  planter  that 
has  three  or  four  hundred  acres  and  three  or  four  slaves, 
if  he  be  industrious,  may  leave  his  family  in  better  bread 
than  such  a  master  of  a  ship  can,  and  if  the  planter  can 
get  ever  so  little  before  hand  let  him  begin  to  buy  goods 
for  tobacco  and  sell  them  again  for  tobacco.  I  never 
knew  them  men  miss  while  they  went  in  so,  but  he  must 


AMERICAN  MASON  151 

never  pretend  to  buy  for  money  and  sell  for  tobacco,  I 
never  knew  any  of  them  but  lost  more  than  they  got.  He 
must  not  be  too  hasty  to  get  rich  but  go  on  gently  with 
patience  as  things  will  naturally  be.  This  method  with- 
out aiming  to  be  a  fine  gentleman  before  his  time,  will 
carry  a  man  more  comfortable  and  surely  through  the 
world  than  going  to  sea.  I  pray  God  keep  you  and 
yours.  My  wife  and  daughter  join  me  in  respect  to  you 

and  yours. 

Your  loving  brother, 

JOSEPH  BALL. 

This  ended  George's  career  as  a  sailor.  In  the 
meantime  he  had  learned  the  art  of  surveying,  and 
in  the  next  two  years  had  been  commissioned  the 
surveyor  of  Culpepper  County,  had  surveyed  many 
thousands  of  acres  for  Lord  Fairfax  in  his  deal- 
ings with  tenants  and  purchasers;  had  been  Law-  . 
rence's  assistant  in  matters  of  the  Ohio  Company, 
and  had  succeeded  Lawrence  as  Adjutant-General 
of  the  Northern  Neck  with  the  rank  of  Major,  and 
was  receiving  as  pay  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  ./ 
Virginia  currency  per  annum.  All  this  he  had  ac- 
complished at  the  age  of  nineteen. 

His  brother  Lawrence  was  active  in  local  affairs, 
a  member  of  the  House  of  Burgesses,  and  was 
prominent  in  the  Ohio  Company,  the  object  of 
which  was  to  establish  amicable  commercial  rela- 
tions with  the  Indians  and  open  up  for  settlement 


152         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

the  vast  country  east  and  south  of  the  Ohio  River, 
and  west  of  the  Alleghanies.  The  Ohio  River 
Company  was  composed  of  the  richest  and  ablest 
men  in  the  Colony  and  purposed  to  secure  the  rich 
fur  trade  of  the  Ohio  valley,  and  open  the  terri- 
tory to  English  settlers.  They  established  trading 
posts  at  regular  intervals  of  fifty  or  one  hundred 
miles,  and  hoped  to  form  a  chain  of  settlements 
from  tidewater  on  the  Potomac  to  the  Ohio,  and 
down  the  banks  of  that  river. 

It  was  from  disputes  concerning  this  territory 
that  the  French  and  Indian  wars  arose,  the  first 
shot  of  which  was  fired  by  Washington  on  May  28, 
1754,  who  with  forty  men  encountered  a  detach- 
ment of  thirty  French  scouts  under  M.  de  Jumon- 
ville,  who  was  killed  in  the  action  and  the  thirty 
French  were  captured.  Thackeray  sums  up  the 
consequences  as  follows: 

It  was  strange  that  in  a  savage  forest  of  Pennsylvania 
a  young  Virginia  officer  should  fire  a  shot  and  waken  up 
a  war  which  was  to  last  for  sixty  years,  which  was  to 
cover  his  own  country  and  pass  into  Europe,  to  cost 
France  her  American  colonies,  to  sever  ours  from  us  and 
create  the  great  Western  Republic,  to  rage  over  the  Old 
World  and  distinguish  the  New;  and,  of  all  the  myriads 
engaged  in  the  vast  contest,  to  leave  the  prize  of  the 
greatest  fame  to  him  who  struck  the  first  blow. 


AMERICAN  MASON  153 

During  these  fateful  years,  Lawrence  Washing- 
ton was  showing  symptoms  of  serious  debility.  He 
had  never  fully  recovered  from  the  effects  of  the 
Cartagena  Campaign,  under  the  command  of  Gen- 
eral Wentworth,  in  the  service  of  Admiral  Vernon, 
with  whom  he  went  to  attack  the  Spanish  city  of 
Cartagena,  in  Colombia,  South  America,  as  a 
member  of  the  Virginia  infantry.  When  this  ex- 
pedition proved  a  failure  he  returned  to  Virginia 
with  the  remnant  of  his  brave  but  unfortunate 
forces,  the  command  of  them  having  devolved 
upon  him  after  the  death  of  Colonel  Gooch. 

After  his  return  to  Virginia  he  worked  so  hard 
that  it  taxed  his  enfeebled  constitution  to  the  ut- 
most. Under  the  advice  of  physicians,  he  made  a 
journey  to  the  Barbadoes  in  September,  1751,  but 
in  vain.  George  Washington  accompanied  him, 
and  contracted  there  the  smallpox,  which  detracted 
from  his  physical  looks  ever  afterwards.  Law- 
rence reached  his  home  at  Mount  Vernon  in  May, 
and  July  26,  1752,  in  the  thirty-fourth  year  of 
his  age,  he  fell  a  victim  to  consumption. 

To  his  brother,  George,  he  left,  in  case  of  the 
death  of  his  daughter,  all  his  land  in  Fairfax 
County  including  Mount  Vernon  and  the  improve- 
ments thereon,  and  also  an  interest  in  other  lands, 
reserving  a  life  interest  for  his  wife,  and  named 


154         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

George  Washington  as  one  of  the  executors  of  his 
will.  In  a  few  months  Lawrence  Washington's 
only  living  daughter,  Sarah,  died,  and  the  Mount 
Vernon  estate  descended  to  George,  subject  to  the 
widow's  use  for  life,  and  though  but  twenty-two 
years  of  age,  George  promptly  bought  the  widow's 
rights,  after  her  marriage  to  George  Lee,  for  an 
annual  payment  of  12,000  pounds  of  tobacco. 

This  inheritance  made  him  one  of  the  rich  men 
of  Virginia,  while  another  romance  five  years  later, 
when  he  was  twenty-seven,  made  him  one  of  the 
richest  men  in  the  Colonies.  This  occurred  when 
he  married  Martha  Dandrige  Custis,  widow  of 
Daniel  Park  Custis,  who  brought  him  $100,000  in 
cash  and  a  very  large  landed  estate  in  Virginia, 
which  added  to  Mount  Vernon,  George  Washing- 
ton's judicious  investments  and  the  lands  received 
as  a  bounty  from  the  French  and  Indian  wars, 
made  his  large  estate. 

MOUNT  VERNON 

This  home  which  George  Washington  inherited, 
Augustine  Washington  built  on  the  site  of  his 
former  and  first  residence  during  the  absence  of 
and  for  his  son  Lawrence  while  he  was  away  on  the 
Carthage  campaign.  Lawrence  Washington  named 
his  estate  Mount  Vernon  after  Admiral  Vernon  in 


AMERICAN  MASON  155 

the  spring  of  1743,  just  about  the  time  of  his 
father's  death,  and  shortly  before  he  married  Anne, 
the  eldest  daughter  of  Colonel  Fairfax,  whose 
plantation,  Belvoir,  adjoined  his  own. 

Anne  Fairfax,  first  mistress  of  Mount  Vernon, 
left  a  mansion  for  a  cottage,  for  Mount  Vernon 
then  was  an  unpretentious  dwelling,  constituting 
but  the  middle  portion  of  the  structure  we  now 
know,  though  its  location  and  its  vistas  and  natu- 
ral beauties  were  as  wonderful  then  as  now.  After 
George  Washington  became  owner  of  the  estate, 
he  added  to  the  building  and  completed  it  as  it  is 
today. 

In  later  years  Washington  extended  the  limits 
of  his  original  inheritance  of  twenty-seven  hun- 
dred acres  to  more  than  eight  thousand  acres,  and 
transformed  it  into  one  of  the  most  valuable  and 
productive  plantations  in  the  Colony.  Here  we 
find  him  when  he  was  sixteen  years  old  installed 
as  a  member  of  his  brother  Lawrence's  family, 
where,  with  the  exceptions  of  occasional  visits  and 
short  sojourns  with  his  mother  at  Pine  Grove  Farm 
on  the  Rappahannock,  he  made  his  home  until  the 
end  came  in  1799,  its  name  inseparably  linked  with 
his,  his  fame  gathering  around  and  glorifying  it 
as  the  years  go  by,  which  will  forever  consecrate 
it  in  the  hearts  of  the  American  people. 


PART  IV 
WASHINGTON  THE  MAN  AND  PATRIOT 


WASHINGTON  THE  MAN 

SOME  one  has  happily  declared,  "Providence 
denied  Washington  children  of  his  own  in 
order  that  he  might  be  the  father  of  his  country." 
Yet  in  his  personal  and  domestic  relations  this 
strong  man  was  all  tenderness.  His  letters  disclose 
that  in  youth  he  fell  in  love  with  a  certain  "Low- 
land Beauty."  Later,  on  a  visit  at  Philadelphia, 
February  4,  1756,  he  appears  again  to  have  be- 
come enamored,  this  time  with  one  Mary  Phillipse. 
His  ledger  of  that  date  contains  an  item  for 
"treating  ladies." 

From  youth  Washington  was  fond  of  all  sorts  of 
athletic  sports  and  feats  of  strength  and  agility. 
At  Mount  Vernon  he  rode  to  hounds  two  or  three 
times  a  week  and  spent  much  time  angling  and 
fowling,  having  been  an  expert  shot  at  ducks  on 
the  wing. 

156 


WASHINGTON  157 

He  was  called  by  Jefferson  the  best  horseman 
of  his  age  and  the  manager  of  Rickett's  circus 
stated  of  him:  "His  seat  is  so  firm,  his  manage- 
ment so  easy  and  graceful,  that  I,  who  am  a  pro- 
fessor of  horsemanship,  should  go  to  him  and 
learn  to  ride." 

Horticulture  was  one  of  his  favorite  pursuits  and 
the  improvement  of  his  grounds  and  cultivation  of 
his  farms,  according  to  his  own  taste,  was  among 
his  principal  amusements. 

DAILY    LIFE 

At  Mount  Vernon  he  rose  with  the  sun,  and  read 
in  his  study  or  wrote  letters  until  breakfast.  After 
breakfast  he  rode  on  horseback  over  his  farms  to 
supervise  his  overseers  and  laborers,  often  taking 
part  in  their  work  with  his  own  hands.  He  then 
worked  in  his  study  until  3  p.  m.,  when  dinner  was 
served.  The  remainder  of  the  day  he  devoted  to 
recreation  with  his  family  and  guests.  He  was 
accustomed  to  retire  at  10  o'clock. 

As  Commander-in-Chief  and  President,  as  well 
as  in  his  own  home,  he  conformed  to  the  custom  of 
the  day  in  having  wine  upon  his  table,  but  he  was 
personally  temperate,  even  abstinent,  never  indulg- 
ing to  excess.  He  was,  however,  very  fond  of  nuts 
and  candy  and  overindulgence  in  sweets  is  said  to 


158         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

have  made  necessary  the  set  of  false  teeth,  which 
caused  the  square  appearance  of  the  lower  part  of 
his  face,  made  familiar  by  his  many  portraits. 

A-A  THE   PLAY 

From  his  youth  the  theatre  was  one  of  his  favor- 
ite pastimes.  He  often  went  to  the  play  three  or 
four  nights  running.  In  boyhood  he  frequented 
the  theatre  at  Williamsburg  and,  while  President, 
often  attended  the  performances  of  the  old  Amer- 
ican Company  at  Philadelphia,  the  east  stage  box 
having  been  fitted  up  expressly  for  his  reception. 
His  diaries  and  ledgers  record  many  purchases  of 
theatre  tickets  for  his  guests  and  members  of  his 
family  and  numerous  entries  to  this  effect,  "Dined 
at  the  Club  and  afterwards  went  to  the  Play."  He 
was  also  accustomed  to  play  cards  occasionally,  his 
ledger  showing  losses  on  one  occasion  of  eight  shil- 
lings and  on  another  of  five  pounds. 

AS  A   BUSINESS   MAN 

Washington  was  a  skilled  accountant,  and  as  a 
man  was  energetic,  prudent,  and  far-sighted.  His 
motto  was  not,  "Business  is  Business,"  that  cynical 
excuse  of  the  weak,  but  "Labor  to  Keep  Alive  in 
Your  Breast  the  Little  Spark  of  Celestial  Con- 
science." He  meant  it  and  kept  it,  leading  thereby 


AMERICAN  MASON  159 

the  champions  of  commercial  honor  who  have  given 
modern  business  its  dignity  and  power,  and  made 
it  what  it  is  today. 

He  gained  no  small  repute  at  his  Mount  Vernon 
mill,  as  a  manufacturer  of  flour.  There  was  the 
"Superfine"  brand,  and  the  "Common."  But  even 
the  "Common"  was  so  unusual  in  its  purity  and 
general  excellence  that,  tradition  says,  Mount  Ver- 
non flour  was  passed  without  inspection  by  customs 
officers  at  West  Indian  ports. 

In  1785  General  Washington,  as  the  outcome  of 
his  eiforts  to  establish  navigation,  via  the  Potomac 
and  the  Ohio,  between  the  Lakes  and  Chesapeake 
Bay,  was  chosen  president  of  the  Potomac  Com- 
pany. 

It  was  a  vast  commercial  plan  conceived  for 
detaching  the  frontier  settler  from  English  influence 
in  the  Northwest  and  Spanish  influence  on  the  Mis- 
sissippi by  welding  the  West  to  the  East  with  an 
improved  channel  of  navigation  from  the  sea  to 
Lake  Erie  through  Virginia,  the  present  West  Vir- 
ginia and  Ohio.  It  would  be  a  long,  circuitous 
route,  especially  for  the  huge  "keel  boats"  pro- 
pelled against  the  stream  with  poles.  But  "the  in- 
genious Mr.  Rumsey,"  popularly  known  as  "Crazy 
Rumsey,"  had  demonstrated  to  the  ever-progressive 
Washington  the  model  of  a  steamboat,  which  actu- 


160         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

ally  traveled  on  the  Potomac  in  the  following  year. 
Here  again  Washington  was  first!  At  his  death  he 
not  only  possessed  realty  in  eastern  Virginia,  in 
New  York  State  and  in  Florida,  but  he  still  re- 
tained in  western  Virginia  (including  the  later  West 
Virginia),  in  Kentucky  and  along  the  Ohio  and  its 
tributaries,  more  than  40,000  acres  of  good  land 
valued  at  $400,000,  or  more  than  $1,000,000  as 
money  is  valued  now.  It  was  the  greater  part  of 
his  estate. 

In  acquiring  it  and  holding  it,  however,  he  had 
become  "land  poor."  During  his  second  term  as 
President  he  felt  so  keenly  his  pecuniary  embar- 
rassment that  he  tried  to  dispose  of  his  western 
lands,  and  even  planned  to  rent  his  Mount  Vernon 
estate,  reserving  only  the  mansion  and — for  agri- 
cultural diversion — a  small  farm  round  about. 
To  that  end  he  wrote  a  realty  "ad"  of  notable  "sell- 
ing power." 

"No  estate  in  America,"  he  announced,  "is  more 
pleasantly  situated  than  this.  It  lies  in  a  high, 
dry  and  healthy  country  three  hundred  miles  by 
water  from  the  sea  on  one  of  the  finest  rivers  in  the 
world.  Its  margin  is  washed  by  more  than  ten 
miles  of  tidewater.  It  is  situated  in  a  latitude  be- 
tween the  extremes  of  heat  and  cold.  It  is  the 
same  distance  by  land  or  (by)  water,  with  good 


AMERICAN  MASON  161 

roads  and  the  best  navigation,  from  the  Federal 
City,  Alexandria  and  Georgetown;  distant  from  the 
first  twelve,  from  the  second  nine,  and  from  the  last, 
sixteen  miles.  The  Federal  City,  in  the  year  1800, 
will  become  the  seat  of  the  general  government  of 
the  United  States.  It  is  increasing  fast  in  build- 
ings and  (is)  rising  into  consequence;  and  will, 
from  the  advantages  given  to  it  by  Nature  and  from 
its  proximity  to  a  rich  interior  country  and  to  the 
Western  Settlements,  become  the  Emporium  of  the 
United  States." 

If  he  had  only  christened  that  little  town  the 
"Imperial  Gateway  of  the  Wondrous  West,"  the 
"ad"  would  have  been  complete. 


WASHINGTON'S  EDUCATION 

THE  opportunities  offered  by  the  Co^nial 
schools  in  Washington's  day  were  small.  He 
had  done  with  schools  before  his  sixteenth  birth- 
day and  thenceforth  depended  upon  self -culture. 
He  studied  the  three  R's,  geography,  history  and 
surveying,  in  the  last  of  which  alone  he  showed  zeal 
and  aptitude,  the  exact  and  practical  having  been, 
through  life,  the  basis  of  his  power.  In  spelling 
and  grammar  he  was  inferior. 

Washington  was  chiefly  self-educated.  Through 
life  he  was  always  learning.  In  great  part  his  edu- 
cation came  from  his  association  with  the  culti- 
vated men  and  women  of  his  time,  including  Lord 
Fairfax,  George  Mason,  Benjamin  Franklin, 
Thomas  Jefferson  and  Alexander  Hamilton.  He 
was  a  close  observer,  having  sharp  eyes  and  keen 
wits,  and  developed  unusual  skill  in  recognizing 
natural  ability.  Hence  he  also  learned  much  from 
the  bookseller,  Knox;  the  blacksmith,  Green;  the 
farmer,  Putnam;  and  the  teamster,  Morgan. 

162 


WASHINGTON  163 

BOOK   BUYER  AND   STUDENT 

Books  he  regarded,  according  to  one  of  his  letters 
to  a  friend  as  "the  basis  upon  which  other  knowl- 
edge is  to  be  built,"  namely,  the  kind  of  knowledge 
of  "men  and  things"  with  which  one  can  "become 
acquainted  by  traveling."  Hence,  through  life,  he 
was  a  systematic  book  buyer  and  student,  and  the 
contents  of  his  library  indicate  his  constant  advance 
in  that  self -culture  which  was  essential  to  the  intelli- 
gent discharge  of  his  duties  as  a  farmer,  a  soldier 
and  a  statesman.  He  read  for  practical  information 
on  subjects  of  utility  to  himself  and  of  value  to  his 
fellowmen.  He  husbanded  his  time  for  study; 
when  he  retired  to  his  library  no  one  dared  to  dis- 
turb him. 

He  was  especially  fond  of  books  on  travel,  mem- 
oirs, and  books  of  history,  but  also  owned  and 
read  the  classics.  His  library  included  the  Bible 
and  several  commentaries  upon  it,  Shakespeare, 
Pope,  Translations  of  the  Iliad  and  Odyssey,  Burns, 
Ossian,  Don  Quixote,  "Gulliver's  Travels,"  Swift's 
Works  and  a  translation  of  Horace. 

Washington's  library  also  contained  a  number 
of  pamphlets,  mostly  on  political  and  religious 
topics  and  his  sense  of  their  importance  is  shown 
by  the  fact  that  he  had  many  of  them  bound,  often 
carefully  arranged  according  to  subjects. 


164         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

VIEWS   ON   EDUCATION 

Such  was  his  estimate  of  the  potency  of  education 
that  he  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  man  to  "con- 
ceive of  a  republic  of  free  men  as  superior  to  a 
monarchy." 

On  various  occasions  he  expressed  the  following 
sentiments: 

"Useful  knowledge  can  have  no  enemy  but  the  igno- 
rant. It  pleases  the  young,  it  delights  the  aged,  is  an 
ornament  in  prosperity  and  a  comfort  in  adversity." 

In  a  letter  to  Samuel  Chase  he  wrote: 

"The  attention  that  your  assembly  gives  to  the  estab- 
lishment of  public  schools  does  them  honor.  To  accom- 
plish this  ought  to  be  one  of  our  first  endeavors.  I  know 
of  no  object  more  interesting." 

In  his  first  address  to  Congress,  January  8, 1790, 
he  said: 

"There  is  nothing  better  can  deserve  your  patronage 
than  the  promotion  of  science  and  literature.  Knowledge 
is  in  every  country  the  great  basis  of  happiness." 

On  the  receipt  of  Chapman's  "Treatise  on  Edu- 
cation," Washington  wrote  him: 

"We  believe  that  the  greatest  human  agency  for  the 
moral  growth  of  the  individual,  the  prosperity  of  our 
country,  and  the  preservation  of  our  Government  is 
popular  education — the  one  good  thing  of  which  it  is 


AMERICAN  MASON  165 

hard  to  get  too  much — and  that,  therefore,  the  State 
should  do  her  utmost  to  encourage  and  advance  it,  with 
all  classes  of  her  citizens,  regardless  of  race  or  color. 

"My  sentiments  are  perfectly  in  unison  with  yours,  Sir, 
that  the  best  means  of  forming  a  manly,  virtuous  and 
happy  people  will  be  found  in  the  right  education  of 
youth.  Without  this  foundation  every  other  means  in 
my  opinion  must  fail." 

VIEWS  ON  THE  PRESS 

Washington  was  a  careful  reader  of  the  news- 
papers and  wrote  Mathew  Carey,  the  Philadelphia 
publisher: 

"I  entertain  a  high  idea  of  the  utility  of  periodical  pub- 
lications insomuch  that  I  could  heartily  desire  copies  of 
the  magazines,  as  well  as  common  gazettes,  might  be 
spread  through  every  city  and  town  and  village  in  Amer- 
ica. I  consider  such  easy  vehicles  of  knowledge  more 
happily  calculated  than  any  other  to  preserve  the  liberty, 
stimulate  the  industry  and  meliorate  the  morals  of  an 
enlightened  and  free  people." 


WASHINGTON  THE  CHURCHMAN 

fTlHE  key  to  the  character  of  Washington  was  re- 
•*-  ligious  faith  and  morality.  With  his  mother 
as  a  youth  he  read  the  Bible,  the  Prayer  Book,  Dis- 
courses on  Common  Prayer  and  Mathew  Hale's 
"Contemplations,  Moral  and  Divine."  Early  in 
life  he  became  a  communicant  in  the  Episcopal 
Church  and  through  life  was  a  constant  supporter 
of  that  Institution.  He  was  a  vestryman  at  differ- 
ent times  in  two  parishes,  Fairfax  and  Truro,  in 
each  of  which  were  four  churches.  He  subscribed 
to  pews  both  at  Pohick  Church  and  at  Christ 
Church,  Alexandria,  and  used  regularly  to  drive 
from  Mount  Vernon  ten  miles  to  attend  the  latter 
church,  weather  permitting.  He  caused  public 
worship  to  be  held  while  at  Camp  and  when  with- 
out a  Chaplain,  in  the  French  and  Indian  wars,  he 
personally  conducted  prayers  at  Fort  Necessity  and 
Great  Meadows  and  in  the  Alleghanies.  Later  he 
read  the  burial  service  over  the  body  of  General 

Braddock. 

166 


WASHINGTON  167 

While  the  army  lay  in  the  vicinity  of  Morristown 
he  wrote  the  Presbyterian  clergyman  in  that  place 
inquiring  if  he  could  be  admitted  to  communion. 
On  receiving  the  reply,  "Ours  is  not  the  Presby- 
terian table  but  the  Lord's,"  the  General  said,  "I 
am  glad  that  it  is,  for  I  propose  to  join  with  you 
on  that  occasion.  Though  a  member  of  the  Church 
of  England,  I  have  no  exclusive  partialities." 

During  the  Gethsemane  of  Valley  Forge,  Wash- 
ington was  observed  by  a  member  of  the  Society  of 
Friends,  on  his  knees  in  the  woods,  praying  for 
his  suffering  forces.  The  Quaker  afterwards  said 
to  his  wife  that  he  had  not  believed  it  was  possible 
to  be  a  soldier  and  a  Christian  at  the  same  time, 
but  having  seen  Washington  on  his  knees  he  knew 
that  he  had  been  mistaken. 

The  following  general  order  on  the  subject  of 
profanity  was  issued  by  command  of  Washington 
to  the  Continental  Army: 

"The  foolish  and  wicked  practice  of  profane  swearing, 
a  vice  heretofore  little  known  in  the  American  Army  is 
growing  into  fashion,  and  it  is  hoped  that  the  officers  will, 
by  example  as  well  as  influence,  endeavor  to  check  it, 
and  that  both  they  and  the  men  will  reflect  that  we  can 
have  little  hope  of  the  blessing  of  Heaven  on  our  arms  if 
we  insult  it  by  impiety  and  folly;  added  to  this,  it  is  a 


168         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

vice  so  mean  and  low,  without  any  temptation,  that  every 
man  of  sense  and  character  detests  and  despises  it." 

Throughout  his  life  Washington  was  a  Christian 
in  faith  and  practice,  habitually  devout,  charitable, 
humane,  liberal  to  the  poor  and  kind  to  those  who 
were  oppressed.  His  reverence  for  religion  is 
equally  to  be  seen  in  his  example,  in  his  public 
communications,  and  in  his  private  writings. 

CHARITIES  OF  WASHINGTON 

Throughout  his  life  Washington  was  a  conspicu- 
ous exemplar  of  the  Masonic  virtue  of  charity.  He 
donated  the  use  of  several  farms  to  the  homeless, 
made  provision  for  orphans  and  for  his  aged  and 
infirm  servants,  and  for  many  years  contributed 
fifty  pounds  annually  for  the  instruction  of  indigent 
children  at  Alexandria.  A  number  of  his  relatives 
were  the  subject  of  his  constant  solicitude  and 
bounty.  During  his  absence,  while  serving  as 
Commander-in-Chief,  he  thus  addressed  the  super- 
intendent in  charge  of  his  household  and  estates: 

"Let  the  hospitality  of  the  house  with  respect  to  the 
poor  be  kept  up.  Let  no  one  go  hungry  away.  If  any  of 
this  kind  of  people  should  be  in  want  of  corn,  supply 
their  necessities,  provided  it  does  not  encourage  them  in 
idleness  and  I  have  no  objection  to  your  giving  my  money 
in  charity  to  the  amount  of  forty  or  fifty  pounds  a  year, 


AMERICAN  MASON  169 

when  you  think  it  is  well  bestowed.  What  I  meant  by 
having  no  objection  is,  that  it  is  my  desire  that  it  should 
be  done." 

During  his  residence  at  Philadelphia  and  else- 
where the  Masonic  Fraternity  was  frequently  made 
the  almoner  of  his  bounty. 


MASONIC   SENTIMENTS   OF  WASHINGTON 

THE  appeal  of  the  Grand  Master  of  the  Masons 
of  Virginia  that  November  4,  the  Masonic 
birthday  of  Washington,  be  observed  as  a  Masonic 
Holiday,  as  a  worthy  tribute  to  the  Father  of  our 
Country,  will  inspire  Masons  of  this  generation 
to  emulate  his  example  and  dedicate  themselves  to 
their  country's  service,  and  lend  timely  interest 
to  the  Masonic  sentiments  of  Washington  as  ex- 
pressed in  his  corerspondence  with  various 
Masonic  bodies. 

The  following  extracts  are  taken  from  the  admi- 
rable compilation  "Masonic  Correspondence  of 
Washington,"  by  R.  W.  Julius  F.  Sachse,  Librarian 
Masonic  Temple,  Philadelphia. 

Facsimile  copies  of  the  originals  of  these  docu- 
ments are  reproduced  by  Brother  Sachse  from  the 
archives  of  the  Library  of  Congress,  or  other  orig- 
inal sources,  so  that  there  can  be  no  question  as  to 
their  authenticity. 

A  DESERVING  BROTHER 

"Being  persuaded  that  a  just  application  of  the  prin- 
ciples on  which  the  Masonic  Fraternity  is  founded,  must 

170 


WASHINGTON  171 

be  promotive  of  private  virtue  and  public  prosperity,  I 
shall  always  be  happy  to  advance  the  interests  of  the 
Society,  and  to  be  considered  by  them  as  a  deserving 
brother." 

(Response  to  address  of  King  David  Lodge  No.  I,  New- 
port, Rhode  Island,  presented  August  22,  1790.) 

"My  best  ambition  having  ever  aimed  at  the  unbiassed 
approbation  of  my  fellow-citizens,  it  is  peculiarly  pleas- 
ing to  find  my  conduct  so  affectionately  approved  by  a 
Fraternity  whose  association  is  founded  in  justice  and 
benevolence." 

(Response  to  Address  of  St.  John's  Lodge  No.  2,  New- 
hern,  North  Carolina,  presented  April  20,  1791.) 

"Your  sentiments,  on  the  establishment  and  exercise  of 
our  equal  government,  are  worthy  of  an  association, 
whose  principles  lead  to  purity  of  morals,  and  are  bene- 
ficial in  action. 

"The  Fabric  of  our  freedom  is  placed  on  the  enduring 
basis  of  public  virtue,  and  will,  I  fondly  hope,  long 
continue  to  protect  the  prosperity  of  the  architects  who 
raised  it.  I  shall  be  happy,  on  every  occasion,  to  evince 
my  regard  for  the  Fraternity." 

(Response  to  Address  of  Grand  Lodge  of  South  Carolina, 
ancient  York  Masons,  presented  May  4, 1791.) 

THE   OBJECT   OF  MASONRY 

"Flattering  as  it  may  be  to  the  human  mind,  and  truly 
honorable  as  it  is  to  receive  from  our  fellow  citizens  tes- 
timonies of  approbation  for  exertions  to  promote  the 
public  welfare,  it  is  not  less  pleasing  to  know,  that  the 


172         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

milder  virtues  of  the  heart  are  highly  respected  by  a  So- 
ciety whose  liberal  principles  must  be  founded  in  the 
immutable  laws  of  truth  and  justice. 

"To  enlarge  the  sphere  of  social  happiness  is  worthy 
the  benevolent  design  of  a  Masonic  institution;  and  it 
is  most  fervently  to  be  wished,  that  the  conduct  of  every 
member  of  the  Fraternity,  as  well  as  those  publications 
that  discover  the  principles  which  actuate  them,  may  tend 
to  convince  mankind  that  the  grand  object  of  Masonry  is 
to  promote  the  happiness  of  the  human  race." 
(Response  to  Address  of  Grand  Lodge  of  Massachusetts 
presented  December  27,  1792.) 

"To  have  been,  in  any  degree,  an  instrument  in  the 
hands  of  Providence,  to  promote  order  and  union,  and 
erect  upon  a  solid  foundation  the  true  principles  of  gov- 
ernment, is  only  to  have  shared  with  many  others  in  a 
labor,  the  results  of  which,  let  us  hope,  will  prove  through 
all  ages  a  sanctuary  for  brothers  and  a  lodge  for  the 
virtues." 

(Response  to  Address  by  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Pennsyl- 
vania presented  December  28,  1796.) 

SUPPORT  THE  GOVERNMENT 

"So  far  as  I  am  acquainted  with  the  principles  and 
doctrines  of  Freemasonry,  I  conceive  it  to  be  founded 
in  benevolence  and  to  be  exercised  only  for  the  good  of 
mankind.  ...  At  this  important  and  critical  moment, 
when  repeated  and  high  indignities  have  been  offered  to 
this  government,  your  country  and  the  rights  and  prop- 
erty of  our  citizens  plundered  without  a  prospect  of 
redress,  I  conceive  to  be  the  indispensable  duty  of  every 


AMERICAN  MASON  173 

American,  let  his  situation  and  circumstances  in  life  be 
what  they  may,  to  come  forward  in  support  of  the  Gov- 
ernment of  his  country  and  to  give  all  the  aid  in  his 
power  toward  maintaining  that  independence  which  we 
have  so  dearly  purchased;  and  under  this  impression,  I 
did  not  hesitate  to  lay  aside  all  personal  considerations 
and  accept  my  appointment. 

(Response  to  Address  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Maryland, 
presented  November  5,  1798.) 


DOCTOR  GEORGE  WASHINGTON 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON  has  been  called  Gen- 
eral Washington,  President  Washington,  and 
the  Father  of  His  Country;  but  probably  few  Amer- 
icans know  that  he  is  also  George  Washington, 
LL.D. 

The  date  and  circumstances  of  conferring  the  de- 
gree, are  given  in  the  following  letter  from  the  Sec- 
retary to  the  President  of  Harvard  University: 

REV.  JOHN  J.  LANIER: 
Dear  Sir. 

In  reply  to  your  letter  of  February  1st  I  beg  to  state 
that  George  Washington  received  an  honorary  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Laws  in  1776.  From  Quincy's  "History  of 
Harvard  University,"  Volume  2,  page  167,  I  take  the  fol- 
lowing: 

"After  the  evacuation  of  the  town  of  Boston  by  the 
British  troops,  which  took  place  the  17th  of  March, 
1776,  congratulatory  addresses  from  towns  and  legisla- 
tures were  universally  presented  to  General  Washington, 
for  the  signal  success  which  had  attended  his  measures. 
The  Corporation  and  Overseers,  in  accordance  with  the 
prevailing  spirit  and  as  an  'expression  of  the  prevailing 

174 


WASHINGTON  175 

gratitude  of  this  College  for  his  eminent  services  in  the 
cause  of  his  country  and  to  this  society,'  conferred  on 
him  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws,  by  the  unanimous 
vote  of  both  boards.  General  Washington  was  the  first 
individual  on  whom  this  degree  was  conferred  by  Har- 
vard College.  The  diploma  was  signed  by  all  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Corporation  except  John  Hancock,  wl.o  was 
then  in  Philadelphia,  and  it  was  immediately  published 
in  the  newspapers  of  the  period,  with  an  English  trans- 
lation." 

Very  truly  yours, 

F.  W.  HUMMELL,  Secretary. 

Washington  was  indeed  first  in  everything — the 
first  person  to  be  initiated  in  Fredericksburg  Ma- 
sonic Lodge,  fired  the  first  shot  in  the  French  and 
Indian  War,  the  first  person  on  whom  Harvard 
University  conferred  the  Honorary  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Laws,  first  person  proposed  to  be  elected 
Grand  Master  of  Masons  in  Virginia,  and  first  and 
only  person  nominated  and  came  near  being  elected 
Grand  Master  of  Masons  in  America,  first  Ameri- 
can General  and  first  President  of  the  United 
States — "first  in  peace,  first  in  war,  and  first  in 
the  hearts  of  his  countrymen." 

It  was  on  April  3,  1776,  that  Harvard  conferred 
the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws  upon  Washington, 
and  in  doing  so  broke  all  precedents.  Washing- 


176         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

ton's  knowledge  of  Latin  was  practically  nothing, 
his  Greek  was  less  than  nothing,  and  his  very 
spelling  of  his  native  English  was  never  above 
suspicion,  yet  he  received  the  highest  academic 
honors  of  the  times  from  an  institution  where  every 
freshman  could  wrangle  in  Latin,  and  every  Sopho- 
more deliver  an  oration  in  Greek. 

An  exaggeration  you  say!  Here  are  the  require- 
ments of  entering  Harvard  in  those  days:  "When 
any  scholar  is  able  to  understand  Tully  or  such  like 
Latin  author  extempore,  and  make  and  speak  true 
Latin  in  verse  and  prose  .  .  .  and  decline  per- 
fectly the  paradigms  of  nouns  and  verbs  in  the 
Greek  tongue,  let  him  then,  and  not  before,  be  ca- 
pable of  admission  into  the  College." 

Fifty-seven  years  before  Washington  became  an 
honorary  Harvard  man  a  boy  named  Siles,  coming 
up  for  his  entrance  test  at  Yale,  "was  examined  in 
Tully's  Orations,  in  which,  though  he  had  never  con- 
strued before  he  came  to  New  Haven,  yet  he  com- 
mitted no  error — in  that  or  any  other  book,  whether 
Latin,  Greek,  or  Hebrew — except  in  Virgil,  wherein 
he  could  not  tell  the  'praeteritum'  of  'requiesco'." 

Though  Washington  possessed  none  of  these 
qualifications,  and  was  not  what  one  would  call 
a  scholar,  nevertheless  he  was  one  of  the  edu- 


AMERICAN  MASON  177 

cated  men  of  his  day,  in  all  that  made  education 
most  worth  while.  His  library  contained  the  best 
available  books,  and  he  could  hold  his  own  with 
the  greatest  minds  in  America  in  those  days  when 
there  were  giant  minds  in  the  land.  Washington 
possessed  one  of  the  best  informed  minds  this  coun- 
try has  ever  produced,  though  to  form  this  conclu- 
sion we  must  ignore  the  qualifications  considered 
by  the  colleges  of  that  day  necessary  to  an  educated 
man. 

The  ancient  Harvard  diploma  reads: 

The  Corporation  of  HARVARD  COLLEGE  in  Cambridge, 
New  England,  to  all  the  Faithful  in  Christ,  to  whom 
these  Presents  shall  come, 

GREETING, 

Whereas  Academical  Degrees  were  originally  instituted 
for  this  Purpose,  That  men  eminent  for  Knowledge,  Wis- 
dom, and  Virtue,  who  have  highly  merited  of  the  Republic 
of  Letters  and  of  the  Common- Wealth,  should  be  re- 
warded with  the  Honors  of  these  Laurels;  there  is  the 
greatest  Propriety  in  conferring  such  Honor  on  that  very 
illustrious  Gentleman,  GEORGE  WASHINGTON,  Esq.;  the 
accomplished  General  of  the  confederated  Colonies  in 
America,  whose  Knowledge  and  patriotic  Ardor  are  mani- 
fest to  all ;  Who,  for  his  distinguished  Virtue,  both  Civil 
and  Military,  in  the  first  Place,  being  elected  by  the 
Suffrages  of  the  Virginians,  one  of  their  Delegates,  ex- 
erted himself  with  Fidelity  and  singular  Wisdom  in  the 
celebrated  Congress  of  America,  for  the  Defence  of  Lib- 


178         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

erty,  when  in  the  utmost  danger  of  being  forever  lost, 
and  for  the  Salvation  of  his  County;  and  then,  at  the 
earnest  Request  of  that  Grand  Council  of  Patriots,  with- 
out Hesitation,  left  all  the  Pleasures  of  his  delightful 
Seat  in  Virginia,  and  the  Affairs  of  his  own  Estate,  that 
through  all  the  Fatigues  and  Dangers  of  a  Camp,  without 
accepting  any  Reward,  he  might  deliver  New  England 
from  the  unjust  and  cruel  arms  of  Britain,  and  defend 
the  other  Colonies;  and  who,  by  the  most  Signal  Smiles 
of  Divine  Providence  on  his  Military  Operations,  drove 
the  Fleet  and  Troops  of  the  Enemy  with  disgraceful  Pre- 
cipitation from  the  Town  of  Boston,  which  for  Eleven 
Months  had  been  shut  up,  fortified  and  defended  by  a 
Garrison  of  above  Seven  Thousand  Regulars ;  So  that  the 
inhabitants,  who  suffered  a  great  variety  of  Hardships 
and  Cruelties  while  under  the  Power  of  the  Oppressors, 
now  rejoice  in  their  Deliverance,  and  the  neighboring 
Towns  are  freed  from  the  Tumult  of  Arms,  and  our  Uni- 
versity has  the  agreeable  Prospect  of  being  restored  to 
its  ancient  Seat. 

Know  ye  therefore,  that  We,  the  President  and  Fellows 
of  Harvard  College  in  Cambridge,  (with  the  Consent  of 
the  Honored  and  Reverend  Overseers  of  our  Academy) 
have  constituted  and  created  the  aforesaid  Gentleman, 
GEORGE  WASHINGTON,  who  merits  the  highest  Honor, 
DOCTOR  OF  LAWS,  the  Law  of  Nature  and  Nations,  and  the 
Civil  Law;  and  have  given  and  granted  unto  him  at  the 
same  Time  all  Rights,  Privileges,  and  Honors  to  the  said 
Degree  pertaining. 

In  Testimony  whereof,  We  have  affixed  the  Seal  of  our 
University  to  these  Letters,  and  subscribed  with  our  Hand 


AMERICAN  MASON  179 

writing  this  Third  Day  of  April  in  the  Year  of  our  Lord 
One  Thousand  Seven  Hundred  and  Seventy-six. 
SAMUEL  LANGDON, 

S.  T.  D.  Praeses. 
NATHANIEL  APPLETON, 

S.  T.  D. 
JOHANNES  WINTHROP, 

Math,  et  Phil.  P.  Hoi.  LL.D. 
ANDREAS  ELIOT,  S.  T.  D. 
SAMUEL  COOPER,  S.  T.  D. 
JOHANNES  WADSWORTH, 
Log.  et  Eth.  Pre.  Thesaurarius. 

Socii. 

It  is  strange  how  fate  reverses  the  fortunes  of 
men.  That  Samuel  Langdon,  President  of  Har- 
vard College,  whose  authority  placed  Washington 
among  "the  aristocracy  of  the  learned,"  was  an 
ardent  Whig  and  in  so  far  pleased  the  Colonists; 
but  in  1780  the  students  fomented  a  rebellion  with- 
in the  college  walls,  and,  casting  aside  their  clas- 
sical languages,  declared  in  flat,  downright  English 
that  he  was  guilty  "of  impiety,  heterodoxy,  unfit- 
ness  for  the  office  of  preacher  of  the  Christian  reli- 
gion, and  still  more  for  that  of  President." 

Langdon,  who  had  more  learning  than  horse 
sense,  immediately  acquiesced  in  the  students' 
wishes  and  resigned,  whereupon  the  student  body 
promptly  met  and  passed  resolutions  almost  ex- 


180  WASHINGTON 

actly  reversing  their  previous  declaration.  But 
the  corporation  accepted  his  resignation,  and  Lang- 
don  retired  to  a  country  parish,  where  he  was 
scarcely  ever  heard  of  again;  while  George  Wash- 
ington, LL.D.,  rose  from  one  stepping  stone  of 
fame  to  another  until  all  the  world  knew  him.  All 
of  which  proves,  of  course,  that  Doctor  Washing- 
ton was  indeed  among  those  "men  eminent  for 
knowledge,  wisdom  and  virtue,  who  have  highly 
merited  of  the  Republic  of  Letters." 


WASHINGTON'S  WILL 

T  \  7"E  have  shown  in  the  preceding  chapters  that 
T  T  Washington  is  the  new  ideal  of  an  educated 
man,  the  exemplar  of  a  democratic  aristocracy 
whose  title  deeds  is  work,  which  consecrates  its 
wealth  to  the  making  of  American  citizens.  He 
did  this  not  only  during  his  life  but  by  his  Will 
still  continues  to  influence  the  institutions  and  des- 
tiny of  America  in  as  vital  a  way  as  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence  and  completes  that  immortal 
document.  It  will  yet  take  its  place  beside,  and 
rank  in  importance  with,  those  three  other  great 
documents  of  human  liberty,  Magna  Charta,  the 
Declaration  of  Independence,  and  the  Masonic 
Constitution  of  1717  which  went  further  than 
Magna  Charta  and  prepared  the  way  for  the 
Declaration  of  Independence.*  We  mention  four 
ways  in  which  his  Will  has  influenced  the  institu- 
tions and  destiny  of  America,  any  one  of  which 
is  sufficient  to  immortalize  any  other  man. 

*  See  "Masonry  and  Citizenship,"  Chapter,  The  Part  Masons 
Played  in  Making  America. 

181 


182         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

WASHINGTON  FREES  HIS  124  SLAVES 

First,  he  held  that  slavery  was  contrary  to  the 
principles  of  Masonry,  which  supplants  the  "slave 
system  of  labor"  by  the  "wage  system  of  free  con- 
tract," used  in  building  Solomon's  temple,  in  which 
each  man  shares  according  to  his  ability,  indus- 
try, and  necessity.  He  staked  his  life  and  all  that 
he  had — and  he  was  one  of  the  richest  men  in  the 
Colonies — for  "freedom,  equality,  and  fraternity"; 
and  by  the  way  he  freed  his  124  slaves  showed  how 
they  could  most  wisely  and  humanely  be  made  into 
American  citizens. 

Washington  and  George  Mason,  together  with 
others  in  the  Colonies,  had  long  been  trying  to 
abolish  the  slave  trade,1  as  the  Non-Importation 

1  Slave  Trade. — The  importation  of  negro  slaves  into  the 
American  colonies  began  with  the  year  1619,  when  a  Dutch 
vessel  brought  a  cargo  of  slaves  into  James  River.  In  1713, 
by  the  treaty  of  Utrecht,  Great  Britain  obtained  the  contract 
for  supplying  slaves  in  the  Spanish  West  Indies.  This  stimu- 
lated the  general  slave  trade.  Some  colonies  desired  to  pro- 
hibit the  importation  of  slaves,  but  Great  Britain  forced  it 
upon  them.  Virginia  passed  several  such  acts,  but  they  were 
vetoed.  Pennsylvania  passed  bills  prohibiting  slave  trading 
in  1712,  1714,  and  1717,  but  they  were  vetoed.  Massachusetts 
passed  a  similar  bill  in  1774,  which  was  vetoed.  It  was  pro- 
hibited by  Rhode  Island  in  1774,  by  Connecticut  in  the  same 
year,  and  by  the  non-importation  covenant  of  the  colonies, 
October  24,  1774.  It  was  forbidden  by  nearly  all  the  states 
during  the  Revolution.  The  slave  trade  question  was  an  im- 
portant one  in  the  formation  of  the  Constitution.  The  South- 
ern States,  except  Virginia — and  Maryland  demanded  it,  hence 
it  was  compromised  by  allowing  Congress  to  prohibit  it  after 
1808.  The  act  of  March  22,  1794,  prohibited  the  carrying  of 


AMERICAN  MASON  183 

Resolutions  written  by  Mason  and  presented  by 
Washington  in  1769  to  the  Virginia  Assembly, 
pledging  the  Virginia  planters  to  purchase  no  slaves 
that  should  be  brought  to  the  country  after  the  1st 
of  November  of  that  year,  shows. 

In  this  connection  the  earlier  attempt  of  that 
other  great  Mason,  General  Oglethorpe,  the 
founder  of  the  Colony  of  Georgia,  to  abolish  slav- 
ery should  not  be  forgotten,  for  its  charter  written 
by  the  Board  of  Trustees  in  1732  "prohibits  the 
sale  of  rum  and  the  use  of  slaves  in  the  colony." 
So  Oglethorpe  has  the  distinction  of  being  the 
founder  of  the  first  and  only  prohibitionist  and 
abolitionist  colony  in  America,  which  permitted  no 
slave  to  be  used  until  the  26th  of  October,  1749, 
and  then  only  after  repeated  petitions  by  the 
colonists  of  Georgia. 

In  a  letter  to  Mr.  John  F.  Mercer,  September, 
1786,  Washington  writes:  "I  never  mean,  unless 
some  particular  circumstance  should  compel  me 

American  slaves  by  American  citizens  from  one  foreign  country 
to  another.  That  of  May  10,  1800,  allowed  United  States  war 
ships  to  seize  vessels  engaged  in  such  traffic.  That  of  February 
28,  1803,  prohibited  the  introduction  of  slaves  into  states  which 
had  forbidden  slavery.  In  1808  the  importation  of  slaves  into 
the  United  States  was  forbidden.  The  acts  of  April  20,  1818, 
and  March  3,  1819,  authorized  the  President  to  send  cruisers 
to  Africa  to  stop  the  slave  trade.  Various  projects  for  renew- 
ing the  trade  arose  in  the  fifties.  It  was  in  reality  never 
given  up  until  1865.  No  restrictions  were  placed  upon  domes- 
tic slave  trading. 


184        WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

to  it,  to  possess  another  slave  by  purchase,  it  being 
among  my  first  wishes  to  see  some  plan  adopted 
by  which  slavery  in  this  country  may  be  abolished 
by  law."  And  eleven  years  afterwards,  in  Au- 
gust, 1797,  he  writes  his  nephew,  Lawrence  Lewis: 
"I  wish  from  my  soul  that  the  legislature  of  this 
State  could  see  the  policy  of  a  gradual  abolition 
of  slavery.  It  might  prevent  much  future  mis- 
chief." 

So  when  the  abolition  of  the  slave  trade  failed  to 
be  written  into  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States 
in  1787,2  Washington  made  provision  in  his  will  for 

1  The  clause  allowing  the  importation  of  slaves  called  forth 
a  heated  debate  in  the  Convention  of  1787  that  made  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States.  George  Mason,  in  opposi- 
tion to  Mr.  Sherman  of  Connecticut  who  was  for  leaving  the 
clause  as  it  stood,  in  a  speech  of  some  length,  said:  "This 
infernal  traffic  originated  in  the  avarice  of  British  merchants. 
The  British  Government  constantly  checked  the  attempts  of 
Virginia  to  put  a  stop  to  it.  The  present  question  concerns 
not  the  importing  States  alone,  but  the  whole  Union.  .  .  . 
Maryland  and  Virginia,  he  said,  had  already  prohibited  the 
importation  of  slaves  expressly — North  Carolina  had  done  the 
same  in  substance.  All  this  would  be  in  vain,  if  South  Caro- 
lina and  Georgia  be  at  liberty  to  import.  The  Western  people 
are  already  calling  out  for  slaves  for  their  new  lands;  and 
will  fill  that  country  with  slaves,  if  they  can  be  got  through 
South  Carolina  and  Georgia.  Slavery  discourages  arts  and 
manufactures.  The  poor  despise  labor  when  performed  by 
slaves.  They  prevent  the  immigration  of  whites,  who  really 
enrich  and  strengthen  a  country.  They  produce  the  most  per- 
nicious effect  on  manners.  Every  master  of  slaves  is  born  a 
petty  tyrant.  They  bring  the  judgment  of  heaven  upon  a 
country.  As  nations  cannot  be  rewarded  or  punished  in  the 
next  world,  they  must  be  in  this.  By  an  inevitable  chain  of 
causes  and  effects,  Providence  punishes  national  sins  by  na- 


AMERICAN  MASON  185 

freeing  and  educating  his  slaves,  hoping  that  his  ex- 
ample would  be  followed  by  the  nation  as  a  whole. 
Had  it  been  done,  how  many  woes  Washington  fore- 
saw would  have  been  saved  the  nation! 

In  his  Will  he  pensioned  his  aged  and  infirm 
slaves,  and  made  provisions  for  educating  the 
young  and  teaching  them  a  vocation  by  which 
they  could  earn  their  living,  and  gave  them  their 
freedom  at  the  age  of  twenty-five.  Over  a  half 
a  century  later  the  nation  did  what  Washington 
tried  to  induce  it  to  do  during  his  life.  In  this 
respect  the  Will  of  Washington  makes  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence  a  reality.  It  began  the 
process  of  educating  and  making  American  citi- 
zens out  of  the  negroes  of  the  United  States.  See 
Washington's  Will,  the  last  chapter  in  this  book. 

WASHINGTON'S  ENDOWMENTS  FOR  EDUCATION 

Second,  the  greatness  of  Washington  is  also 
shown  by  the  endowment  he  left  and  the  reasons 
he  gives  for  founding  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  a  great 
University  for  the  training  and  making  of  true 

tional  calamities.  He  lamented  that  some  of  our  Eastern 
brethren  had,  from  a  lust  of  gain,  embarked  in  this  nefarious 
traffic.  He  held  it  essential  in  every  point  of  view,  that  the 
general  government  should  have  power  to  prevent  the  increase 
of  slavery."  The  year  1800  was  fixed  in  the  report  as  the 
time  when  the  importation  of  slaves  should  cease.  This  was 
changed  to  1808. 


186         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

Americans,  untainted  by  the  monarchial  atmos- 
phere of  the  continental  schools  of  Europe;  by  the 
money  and  stocks  he  left  for  establishing  and  sup- 
porting a  free  school  at  Alexandria,  Virginia;  by 
giving  one  hundred  shares  of  the  James  River  Canal 
stock  for  the  use  and  benefit  of  Liberty  Hall 
Academy,  in  the  County  of  Rockbridge,  Virginia, 
which  was  founded  in  1749  as  Augusta  Academy, 
and  was  the  first  concrete  expression  of  that  devo- 
tion to  learning  and  religion  which  characterized 
the  settlers  of  the  Valley  of  Virginia,  and  became 
the  fifth  in  order  of  founding  of  American  colleges. 

In  the  spring  of  1776,  two  months  before  the 
Declaration  of  Independence,  by  unanimous  action 
of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  its  name  was  changed  to 
Liberty  Hall,  and  in  1782  was  formally  incorpo- 
rated as  an  independent  institution,  under  a  self- 
perpetuating  Board  of  Trustees.  It  was  to  this 
institution  that  Washington  gave  the  Virginia  State 
Canal  bonds,  described  in  his  Will. 

The  Trustees  of  the  Academy  then  requested  that 
the  enlarged  and  endowed  institution  be  allowed  to 
bear  his  name.  To  this  General  Washington  con- 
sented in  a  letter  dated  June  17,  1798,  at  which 
time  the  name  of  the  institution  was  changed  to 
Washington  Academy,  the  only  institution  so  au- 
thorized by  the  Father  of  his  country.  In  1813  by 


AMERICAN  MASON  187 

formal  act  of  the  legislature  its  name  was  changed 
to  Washington  College. 

After  the  wreck  of  the  Civil  War,  the  Institution 
was  reorganized  and  developed  by  the  genius  of 
Robert  E.  Lee,  who  accepted  its  Presidency  in 
1865,  fixed  its  traditions  of  courtesy,  honor,  and 
patriotism,  hallowed  for  all  time  by  his  spirit,  and 
bequeathed  to  its  keeping  his  sacred  dust  and  his 
incomparable  name.  Washington,  his  great  kins- 
man, being  rich,  had  endowed  the  college  with  his 
money.  General  Lee,  having  no  money,  gave  him- 
self to  the  institution  and  thus  enriched  it  forever. 
After  his  death  the  name  of  the  college  was  changed 
to  Washington  and  Lee  University. 

This  gift  of  Washington  still  yields  an  annual  in- 
come of  $3000  to  this  institution.  This  bequest 
soon  inspired  a  similar  gift  from  the  Cincinnati 
Society  of  the  Revolution.  When  the  Virginia 
Cincinnati  Society  disbanded  in  1802,  it  decided 
to  follow  the  example  of  Washington  and  bestowed 
all  of  its  funds,  amounting  to  $25,000,  upon  the 
institution  which  Washington  had  endowed. 

How  prophetic  and  far-sighted  are  these  words 
of  his  Will  in  which  he  urges  the  establishment,  at 
Washington,  D.  C.,  of  a  National  University: 

"It  has  always  been  a  source  of  serious  regret 
with  me,  to  see  the  youth  of  these  United  States 


188         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

sent  to  foreign  countries  for  the  purpose  of  educa- 
tion, often  before  their  minds  were  formed,  or 
before  they  had  imbibed  any  adequate  ideas  of  the 
happiness  of  their  own ;  contracting,  too  frequently, 
not  only  habits  of  dissipation  and  extravagance,  but 
principles  unfriendly  to  republican  forms  of  gov- 
ernment, and  to  the  true  and  genuine  liberties  of 
mankind,  which,  thereafter,  are  rarely  overcome. 
For  these  reasons,  it  has  been  my  ardent  wish  to 
see  a  plan  devised,  on  a  liberal  scale,  which  would 
have  a  tendency  to  spread  systematic  ideas  through 
all  parts  of  this  rising  empire,  thereby  to  do  away 
with  local  attachments  and  state  prejudices,  as  far 
as  the  nature  of  things  would,  or  indeed  ought  to 
admit,  from  our  national  councils  .  .  .  and,  as  a 
matter  of  infinite  importance  in  my  judgment,  by 
associating  with  each  other,  and  forming  friend- 
ships in  juvenile  years,  be  enabled  to  free  them- 
selves in  a  proper  degree,  from  those  local  preju- 
dices and  habitual  jealousies  which  have  been  men- 
tioned, and  which,  when  carried  to  excess,  are 
never  failing  sources  of  disquietude  to  the  public 
mind,  and  pregnant  of  mischievous  consequences 
to  this  country." 

The  Rhodes  Scholarships  have  carried  out  Wash- 
ington's ideas  for  the  British  Empire.  But  the 
United  States  in  its  public  schools  has  carried  out 


AMERICAN  MASON  189 

Washington's  ideas  of  universal  education  for 
every  child  of  the  nation,  which  he  began  by  the 
endowment  he  left  for  a  school  in  Alexandria,  Va. 
Again  in  the  matter  of  schools  has  Washington's 
Will  completed  the  Declarations  of  Independence, 
for  without  universal  education  the  declarations  of 
that  immortal  document  are  nothing  more  than 
the  dream  of  an  idealist. 

FATHER  OF  AMERICAN  TRUST  COMPANIES 

Third,  the  way  in  which  he  left  his  estate  to  be 
administered  by  his  executors  has  had  a  most  far- 
reaching  influence  in  the  business  world  of  Amer- 
ica, for  our  modern  Trust  Companies  are  founded 
upon  the  principle  he  so  successfully  used  in  the 
execution  of  his  will. 

THE  CHAMPION  OF  ARBITRATION 

Fourth,  he  used  the  principle  of  "arbitration" 
as  a  better  method  of  settling  business  disputes 
than  courts  of  law.  His  will  closes  with  these 
words: 

"My  will  and  direction  expressly  is,  that  all  dis- 
putes, if  unhappily  any  should  arise,  shall  be  de- 
cided by  three  impartial  and  intelligent  men,  known 
for  their  probity  and  good  understanding;  two  to 
be  chosen  by  the  disputants,  each  having  the  choice 


190         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

of  one,  and  the  third  by  these  two;  which  three 
men  thus  chosen  shall,  unfettered  by  law  or  legal 
constructions,  declare  the  sense  of  the  testator's  in- 
tentions; and  such  decision  is,  to  all  intents  and 
purposes,  to  be  as  binding  on  the  parties  as  if  it 
had  been  given  in  the  supreme  court  of  the  United 
States." 

AFTER  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTY  YEARS  THE 
NATION  FOLLOWS  WASHINGTON'S  ADVICE 

The  national  acceptance  of  the  principle  of  busi- 
ness arbitration,  as  advised  by  Washington  more 
than  a  century  ago,  seems  about  to  be  realized.  As 
this  book  is  being  completed  the  Tribunal  of  Arbi- 
tration founded  by  the  Arbitration  Society  of 
America,  has  just  opened  its  first  tribunal  in  New 
York  City.  The  purpose  of  this  Tribunal  is  set 
forth  as  follows: 

To  organize  and  operate  in  New  York  City  and  in  other 
cities  of  this  country  tribunals  of  arbitration  for  the 
speedy,  inexpensive  and  just  determination  of  all  dis- 
putes and  controversies. 

To  move  for  a  uniform  arbitration  law  in  all  the  States 
of  the  Union,  and  for  the  insertion  of  an  arbitration 
clause  in  all  trade  and  industrial  contracts. 

If  given  public  support  this  plan  is  expected  to  reduce 
the  volume  of  litigation  fully  75  per  cent,"  said  a  state- 
ment given  out.  by  the  society.  "It  will  put  an  end  to  the 


AMERICAN  MASON  191 

seriously  congested  condition  of  our  court  calendars;  it 
will  insure  to  the  people  a  speedy  administration  of  jus- 
tice and  a  vast  saving  in  time,  money  and  worry;  it  will 
completely  eliminate  the  present  'law's  delays,'  which,  in 
so  many  cases,  constitute  a  positive  denial  of  justice. 

The  Society  will  begin  its  work  with  the  establish- 
ment in  New  York  City  of  a  Tribunal  of  Arbitration 
where  all  classes  of  controversies — save  criminal  and 
divorce  matters — may  be  lawfully  determined. 

This  tribunal  will  be  open  alike  to  the  general  public 
and  to  the  trades.  It  will  not  be  a  trade  court  exclusively, 
nor  will  there  be  any  limitations  to  the  scope  of  its 
public  service.  In  a  word,  it  will  be  a  people's  tribunal, 
to  which  disputants  may  submit  any  form  of  contro- 
versy for  immediate  determination  by  arbitrators  se- 
lected by  themselves. 

Disputants  applying  at  this  tribunal  will  only  have  to 
sign  an  agreement  to  arbitrate.  All  arrangements  for 
the  services  of  an  arbitrator,  the  time  of  hearings,  sum- 
moning of  witnesses,  assignment  of  a  special  court  room, 
etc.,  will  be  made  by  the  Society.  All  that  the  disputants 
will  have  to  do  is  to  agree  to  a  settlement  of  their  con- 
troversy by  one  or  more  arbitrators,  selected  by  them- 
selves as  worthy  of  full  confidence. 

Disputants  can  bring  their  controversies  to  this  tri- 
bunal, knowing  that  if  the  hearing  involves  a  revelation 
of  confidential  matters,  trade  secrets  and  the  like,  there 
will  be  no  damaging  notoriety,  no  publicity  beyond  the 
title  of  the  case  and  the  award  as  they  will  appear  on  the 
formal  records  of  the  court. 

The  operation  of  this  court  will  be  marked  by  a  total 


192  WASHINGTON 

absence  of  technicalities.  The  procedure  will  be  simple 
and  direct.  The  arbitrator  will  designate  a  time  for  the 
hearings  and  the  disputants  will  appear  before  him. 
Each  disputant  will  state  his  case,  produce  his  witnesses, 
if  any,  and  submit  whatever  documents  are  material. 
There  will  be  no  rules  of  evidence  in  this  court  to  ex- 
clude testimony  as  "irrelevant,  immaterial  and  incompe- 
tent," and  the  like.  Each  disputant  will  tell  his  story  in 
his  own  way,  and  the  arbitrator,  exercising  common  sense, 
will  know  what  to  consider  and  what  to  reject.  It  will 
be  an  honest,  fair,  common  sense  proceeding  throughout 
— the  sort  of  a  proceeding  that  a  man  with  honest  dif- 
ferences and  honest  purpose  will  desire. 


THE  MASONIC  IDEAL  OF  WEALTH 

AS  Masons  we  are  taught  the  meaning  of  sym- 
bols. The  most  important  symbol  for  us  to 
learn  to  read  is  the  meaning  of  the  American  dol- 
lar, which  is  the  soul  of  America  engraved  on  gold 
and  silver,  the  symbol  of  the  financial  freedom  and 
personal  liberty  of  a  great  and  free  people,  which 
we  hold  dearer  than  life  itself. 

The  dollar  which  we  often  carelessly  pass  from 
hand  to  hand  is  a  sacred  thing,  the  outward  and 
visible  sign  of  the  ideals  of  the  great  Masons  who 
made  this  great  nation,  not  the  means  by  which  the 
few  can  enslave  the  many.  We  can  use  our  dol- 
lars as  the  miser  does — hoard  them ;  we  can  use  our 
dollars  for  the  gratification  of  our  selfish  greed,  as 
the  plutocrat  does;  we  can  use  our  dollars  to  cor- 
rupt our  fellow  men,  defame  and  defraud  them, 
even  murder  them.  But  if  we  do  so  we  desecrate 
the  American  dollar  and  use  it  to  overthrow  and 
destroy  the  American  ideal,  sealed  and  consecrated 
by  the  lifeblood  of  our  fathers. 

On  one  side  of  the  American  dollar  is  stamped 

"The  United  States  of  America."     To  make  the 

193 


194         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

United  States  of  America  we  fought  our  first  great 
war.  By  it  thirteen  British  colonies  were  made 
into  the  great  American  Republic  of  the  United 
States  of  America. 

On  the  same  side  of  the  dollar  is  "E  Pluribus 
Unum."  To  maintain  this  unity  of  our  nation, 
forever  one  and  inseparable,  we  fought  another 
great  war,  a  war  without  which  the  ideals  of  this 
nation  would  have  been  forever  lost. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  dollar  is  "In  God  we 
Trust,"  which  is  also  one  of  the  landmarks  of 
Masonry,  the  solemn  use  of  which  will  occur  to 
every  Mason.  The  violation  of  this  principle  has 
been  the  cause  of  all  religious  wars. 

Above  this  motto  is  written  another  Masonic 
word,  "Liberty,"  for  which  all  righteous  wars  are 
fought,  and  for  which  America  has  fought  all  her 
wars.  Some  may  think  that  the  war  with  Mexico 
was  not  for  this  purpose,  but  the  providence  of 
God  and  the  Civil  War  overruled  it  in  the  interest 
of  the  liberty  and  freedom  of  the  world. 

At  the  bottom  of  the  dollar  is  the  date  of  the  year 
in  which  it  is  coined,  which  refers  to  the  birth  of 
Christ.  It  tells  us  that  the  God  who  inspired  our 
fathers  to  make  such  great  sacrifices  for  righteous- 
ness, liberty  and  brotherhood  is  the  Father-God, 
who  is  the  God  of  this  nation. 


AMERICAN  MASON  195 

The  dollar  which  passes  through  our  hands  is 
not  a  common  piece  of  gold  or  silver  or  a  paper 
rag,  but  a  sacred  thing  when  you  understand  the 
meaning  and  history  which  our  fathers  stamped 
upon  it.  For  them  the  American  dollar  was  the 
revelation  of  the  heart  and  soul  of  the  new  nation 
of  the  earth.  It  embodied  for  them,  in  luminous 
image,  the  glory  and  honor  of  our  beloved  coun- 
try; its  government,  its  spirit,  its  institutions;  its 
laws,  its  history;  the  divine  ideas  of  duty,  of  dar- 
ing, and  heroic  self-sacrifice  revealed  in  the  lives 
of  its  God-inspired  men,  the  ideals  of  righteous- 
ness and  human  freedom.  For  they  engraved, 
stamped,  and  dedicated  their  dollars  to  God,  our 
country,  our  fellowmen;  to  liberty,  justice  and 
brotherhood,  which  is  the  ideal  of  the  American 
people. 

It  is  said  that  the  American  loves  the  dollar;  he 
may,  he  does,  he  ought  to,  for  it  is  the  greatest 
thing  that  any  nation  has  circulated  around  the 
globe.  It  is  not  the  material  thing  the  American 
loves,  but  the  ideal  America  has  stamped  on  its 
dollar;  for  in  the  hour  of  danger  we  sacrifice  our 
dollars  for  our  ideals,  all  of  which  is  summed 
up  in  the  word  Liberty,  symbolized  by  the  Eagle, 
and  by  the  Statue  of  Liberty  in  the  harbor  of  New 
York.  There 


196         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

"Across  the  bay  the  torch  of  freedom  burns; 
While  stands  her  ageless  figure-,  we  shall  stand 
Eternal  guard  above  the  sacred  urns 
Of  those  who  perished  under  God's  command. 

Beneath  the  poppies  in  the  field  of  France, 
Beneath  the  star-eyed  daisies  of  our  own, 
The  heroes  caught  in  clutch  of  circumstance 
Have  reared  for  us  an  altar  and  a  throne. 

We  shall  not  prove  apostate  to  their  trust, 
We  shall  not  lower  now  the  great  ideal; 
We  shall  not  heap  dishonor  on  their  dust 
With  lies  about  the  "practical"  and  real — 
While  stands  her  ageless  figure,  we  shall  stand 
For  human  rights  in  this  or  any  land!" 

Liberty  is  the  ideal  of  America,  a  thing  of  the 
mind  and  spirit.  A  people  free  in  mind  and  spirit, 
who  fear  not  man  and  bow  to  God  alone,  can  be 
free.  War  is  the  last  and  final  step  by  which  men 
gain  their  freedom.  War  will  continue  in  this 
world  as  long  as  some  men  are  determined  to  be 
masters  and  make  others  their  servants  and  slaves. 
It  is  only  in  liberty,  where  the  master  and  slave 
relation  is  abolished  and  that  of  brotherhood  takes 
its  place,  that  wars  will  cease — when  that  for 
which  the  American  dollar  stands  is  realized. 

Let  us  rapidly  trace  the  history  of  human  liberty 
which  began  in  Europe  and  culminated  in  America. 


AMERICAN  MASON  197 

Going  back  to  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury, there  was  liberty  of  no  kind,  as  we  understand 
that  word  today,  in  Europe.  The  great  liberating 
movement  began  as  the  aspiration  of  northern 
Europe  for  religious  liberty — the  right  of  every 
man  to  worship  God  according  to  the  dictates  of 
his  own  conscience.  It  caused  the  hundred  years' 
war  in  Europe  which  finally  culminated  with  the 
defeat  of  the  Spanish  armada  by  the  English  sailors 
in  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth.  This  closed  the 
wars  Europe  fought  for  one  hundred  years  for  the 
religious  liberty  that  we  enjoy  today  in  this  great 
country  of  ours. 

But  still  men  had  no  political  liberty.  They 
continued  in  slavery  "to  the  divine  rights  of  kings." 
The  movement  temporarily  succeeded  in  England 
under  Oliver  Cromwell,  but  soon  went  out  in  the 
darkness  of  defeat  with  the  return  of  Charles  II. 
But  the  political  liberty  which  failed  in  England 
was  won  and  made  a  reality  here  in  America  dur- 
ing the  American  Revolution.  Then  it  had  its 
reflex  influence  upon  Europe,  brought  on  the  French 
Revolution,  which  made  France  a  republic,  changed 
the  colonial  policy  of  England,  and  gave  constitu- 
tional forms  of  government  to  most  of  the  countries 
of  Europe.  Thus  political  liberty,  the  right  of  the 
people  to  rule  themselves,  became  a  reality. 


198         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

Having  gained  political  liberty,  the  next  war  in 
America  was  for  personal  liberty.  For  we  must 
remember  that  at  the  death  of  Washington  slavery 
was  practically  all  over  the  world.  Washington 
began  the  movement  by  freeing  his  slaves,  which 
was  finally  concluded  by  Russia  freeing  her  serfs. 
So  in  one  hundred  years  after  the  death  of  Wash- 
ington the  principle  for  which  he  fought — demo- 
cracy— and  the  movement  he  began  by  freeing  his 
slaves  and  giving  them  their  personal  liberty,  swept 
around  the  globe. 

So  far  men  had  gained  religious,  political,  per- 
sonal and  financial  liberty,  except  in  the  last  strong- 
hold of  despotism — Germany,  Austria,  Turkey — 
who  in  1914  attempted  to  fasten  the  chains  of 
slavery  again  upon  the  free  people  of  the  world. 
The  legions  of  American  soldiers  fighting  for  the 
same  principles  of  liberty  that  the  soldiers  of  the 
American  Revolution,  the  veterans  of  the  Civil  War, 
the  Spanish-American  War,  by  their  magnificent 
bravery  and  daring  valor  united  with  the  soldiers 
of  England,  France,  Italy  and  all  the  other  allies, 
said:  Religious,  Political,  Personal,  and  Financial 
Liberty  shall  not  perish  from  the  face  of  the  earth! 
Mankind  shall  be  free  and  never  again  wear  the 
shackles  of  an  autocratic  despot! 

After  each  of  these  great  conflicts  of  mankind  for 


AMERICAN  MASON  199 

liberty,  equality,  and  fraternity,  periods  of  depres- 
sion and  moral  and  financial  upheavals  have  fol- 
lowed. The  worst  that  ever  came  in  America  was 
after  the  American  Revolution.  From  1790  to 
1812  was  the  darkest  period  that  America  has  ever 
known — religiously,  politically,  and  financially. 
We  weathered  that  storm  and  we  will  weather  the 
present  distress. 

That  which  is  giving  many  alarm  at  the  present 
time  is  the  fear  that  the  rapid  concentration  of 
wealth  in  the  hands  of  the  few  will  eventually  create 
here  in  America  an  oligarchy  of  wealth  on  the  one 
hand  and  a  great  mass  of  peasants  on  the  other 
hand,  dispossessed  and  propertyless,  and  with  no 
hope  of  ever  bettering  their  condition. 

This  is  what  the  great  French  historian,  De  Toc- 
queville,  meant  when  he  said,  seventy-five  years 
ago,  "When  America  cuts  down  her  forests  and  fills 
up  her  prairies,  then  will  come  the  test  of  her  in- 
stitutions." 

Democracy  is  possible  only  where  there  is 
opportunity  for  a  man  to  take  his  place  in  life  ac- 
cording to  his  merits  and  ability,  and  not  according 
to  the  accidents  of  his  birth  or  the  size  of  his 
father's  pocketbook.  Up  to  the  present  time  it  has 
been  impossible  financially  to  enslave  the  people  of 
America  and  thus  divide  them  into  hard  and  fast 


200         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

classes  because  our  vast  unoccupied  lands  and  free 
access  to  food  and  the  other  material  necessities  of 
life  have  not  permitted  it.  But  now  with  these 
owned  and  controlled  by  a  few,  so  that  the  mass  of 
the  people  cannot  have  free  access  to  them  as  in 
the  past,  but  in  order  to  use  them  must  pay  exces- 
sive rent  and  interest,  marks  the  beginning  of  the 
danger  prophesied  by  De  Tocqueville,  which  will 
decide  whether  America  will  remain  a  democracy 
or  become  a  despotic  oligarchy  of  wealth  and  a 
hierarchy  of  superstition. 

But  we  have  no  fears  of  this  in  America  as  long 
as  Masonry  flourishes  in  our  land.  Our  people 
always  have  and  always  will  worship  the  god  of 
liberty.  Our  past  history  of  one  continual  ad- 
vance in  liberty  is  the  vis  a  tergo,  the  irresistible 
power  and  force  behind  which  will  continue  to 
keep  us  in  the  straight  and  narrow  path  of  free- 
dom won  by  our  fathers. 

In  the  name  of  liberty  and  equality  we  threw 
the  British  sovereign  across  the  Atlantic  Ocean 
and  sent  the  unreconstructed  tories  after  him;  we 
abolished  titled  nobility,  the  law  of  primogeniture 
and  entail  by  which  mankind  had  been  enslaved 
for  untold  ages  in  Europe;  we  put  the  law-making 
power  in  the  hands  of  the  people;  we  have  estab- 
lished free  schools  to  banish  the  ignorance 


AMERICAN  MASON  201 

which  from  the  very  beginning  enslaved  the  peo- 
ples of  the  earth;  we  have  freed  the  chattel  slaves 
of  half  a  continent;  we  spent  twenty-five  billions  of 
dollars  to  defeat  Germany,  who  attempted  to  sweep 
this  priceless  heritage  of  humanity  from  the  face  of 
the  earth. 

The  American  people  never  have,  never  can,  and 
never  will  be  enslaved  by  the  power  of  king, 
priest,  or  gold.  America,  the  land  of  the  free  and 
the  home  of  the  brave,  always  will  be  ruled  by  the 
people,  for  the  people,  and  in  the  interest  of  the 
people.  It  will  never  be  ruled  by  a  class  in  the 
interest  of  any  class  for  any  great  length  of  time. 
Should  any  fools  of  the  future  attempt  it,  they  will 
share  the  fate  of  those  who  have  attempted  it  in  the 
past. 

America  will  solve  her  problems  and  overcome 
the  dangers  of  the  present  and  future  as  she  has 
in  the  past — in  the  interest  of  liberty,  freedom  and 
democracy — and  woe  to  the  despot,  no  matter  in 
what  form  or  guise  he  comes. 

So  shall  we  be  worthy  sons  of  America  and  up- 
hold the  ideals  of  a  great  and  free  people,  which 
have  come  to  us  from  Marathon  and  Salamis,  from 
the  Netherlands  under  William  the  Silent,  from  the 
British  sailors  who  fired  the  Spanish  Armada,  from 
Cromwell's  ironsides  at  Marston  Moor,  from  the 


202  WASHINGTON 

plains  of  Abraham,  and  from  Bunker  Hill,  Sara- 
toga, and  Yorktown.  As  long  as  we  are  true  to 
these  ideals,  there  will  come  from  them  the  glad 
smile  of  their  benediction,  and  a  mighty  prayer 
will  arise  in  the  heart  of  all  the  world  to  keep  us 
steadfast  and  firm  in  the  traditions  of  religion,  lib- 
erty, and  democracy  engraved  on  the  American  dol- 
lar, until  the  ideals  for  which  it  stands  shall  become 
the  heritage  of  all  the  peoples  of  the  earth! 


PART  V 
WASHINGTON'S  MOTHER  LODGE 


FREDERICKSBURG  LODGE  No.  4,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 

THIS  chapter  is  by  no  means  a  complete  his- 
tory of  Washington's  Mother  Lodge,  but  only 
a  brief  record  of  its  activities  that  are  of  national 
importance,  and  of  general  interest  to  Masons 
everywhere.  It  is  really  wonderful  at  how  many 
and  vital  points  its  history  is  linked  both  with  that 
of  our  Country  and  the  Masonic  Craft  in  America. 
According  to  the  best  evidence  obtainable, 
and  known  to  be  authentic,  the  Lodge  was  organ- 
ized on  the  first  day  of  September,  1752,  and  was 
styled,  "The  Lodge  at  Fredericksburg."  This  evi- 
dence is  obtained  from  an  old  "record  book,  a  list 
of  members  and  ledger,"  bound  together,  now  in 
possession  of  the  Lodge,  in  which  the  proceedings 
of  the  Lodge  and  its  financial  operations  were  kept 
for  several  years. 

On  the  first  page  of  the  ledger  is  inscribed: 
203 


204         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

"Ledger  for  Fredericksburg  Lodge,  commencing 
September,  A.  D.,  1752,  A.  M.,  5752,  ending  in 
December  A.  D.,  1764,  A.  M.,  5764."  The  first 
entry  in  the  record  of  proceedings  is,  "list  of  mem- 
bers' names,  1st  September,  5752."  No  reference 
is  made  to  any  former  record  book,  or  any  previous 
existence  of  the  Lodge,  and  as  no  such  reference 
is  made,  and  as  the  record  of  proceedings  and 
Ledger  both  date  from  the  same  time,  it  is  consid- 
ered almost  positive  proof  that  the  Lodge  was  or- 
ganized on  the  first  day  of  September,  1752. 

AUTHORITY  FOR  ORGANIZING   THE   LODGE 

From  what  source  the  authority  was  derived  for 
opening  the  Lodge  at  Fredericksburg  is  not  as  sat- 
isfactorily settled  as  is  the  time  of  its  organization. 
The  records  give  no  authority,  nor  is  any  allusion 
made  to  its  allegiance  to  any  Grand  Body,  Grand 
Master,  or  Deputy  Grand  Master.  It  is  very  cer- 
tain that  it  had  no  Charter  from  any  Grand  Lodge 
when  it  was  organized,  from  the  fact  that  a  few 
years  after  its  organization  it  applied  to  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  Scotland  for  a  Charter,  which  was  grant- 
ed in  1758,  and  which  continued  in  force  until  the 
organization  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Virginia. 
From  the  fact  that  at  the  various  meetings  of  the 
Lodge,  the  Worshipful  Master  was  recorded  as 


AMERICAN  MASON  205 

Grand  Master,  some  brethren  have  supposed  that 
the  Lodge  was  a  self-constituted  and  independent 
body.  This  independence  is  also  claimed  upon 
the  ground  that  the  Fredericksburg  Lodge  granted 
Charters  and  constituted  other  Masonic  Bodies.  It 
is  the  opinion  of  the  editor  of  this  book,  that  the 
Masons  of  Fredericksburg  and  vicinity,  exercising 
the  right  of  Masons  from  time  immemorial,  de- 
cided to  unite  and  form  a  Grand  Lodge  of  their 
own  as  the  Grand  Lodge  of  England  was  formed 
and  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Virginia  was  formed,  when 
the  several  Lodges  of  Virginia,  owing  at  that  time 
allegiance  to  several  Grand  Lodges,  threw  off  their 
allegiance  to  these  Grand  Lodges  and  formed  the 
Grand  Lodge  of  Virginia. 

FIRST  MEETING  OF  THE  LODGE 

The  first  meeting  of  the  Lodge,  according  to  the 
record,  was  held  on  the  first  day  of  September, 
1752,  with  thirteen  Masons  present,  if  we  omit  the 
Master  whose  name  is  scratched  out.  The  brother's 
name  who  was  recorded  as  Master  at  that  meeting 
was  so  effectually  blotted  that  no  one  can  tell  what 
it  was.  Why  the  name  was  erased  does  not  appear, 
but  no  other  name  was  substituted  for  Master  for 
the  occasion.  The  first  entry  in  the  book  gives  the 
list  of  officers  and  members  as  follows: 


206         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

,  Master. 

Andrew  Beaty,  Senior  Warden. 

Gavin  Rodgers,  Junior  Warden. 

Daniel  Campbell,  Secretary  and  Treasurer. 

John  Neilson,  Robert  Duncanson,  William 
McWilliams,  John  Sutherland,  John  Richards, 
Robert  Halkerson,  Ralph  M.  Farlane,  Willock 
MacKey,  Walter  Stewart,  James  Duncanson. 

EARLY   LODGE    RECORDS 

It  is  quite  noticeable  that  the  Secretary  of 
the  Lodge  at  its  organization,  and  those  who  suc- 
ceeded him  for  several  years,  determined  to 
write  as  little  as  possible  of  the  transactions 
of  the  Lodge.  This  determination  was  so 
rigidly  observed,  that  at  many  of  the  meetings 
nothing  is  given  but  the  names  of  the  officers,  and 
sometimes  the  names  of  other  members  present. 
The  first  meeting  recorded  after  the  organization 
of  the  Lodge  was  on  the  4th  of  November.  The 
names  of  the  officers  and  members  above  mentioned 
are  recorded,  and  those  of  Charles  Lewis  and 
George  Washington  are  added.  These  two  breth- 
ren became  members  of  the  Lodge  that  night — 
Charles  Lewis  by  affiliation  and  George  Washington 
by  initiation.  This,  however,  is  not  shown  by  the 


! 


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JAtW  rf.r 

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X 


Fac-Simile  of  the  Masonic  Records  of  Fredericksburg  Lodge  Si 


" 


• 


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• 


.- 

. 

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. 


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. 


Copyright,  1908,  by  Fredericksburg  Lodge  No.  k  A.  F.  &  A.  M.     Used  by  permi 
the  Initiation,  Passing,  and  Raising  of  George  Washington 


AMERICAN  MASON  207 

record  of  the  proceedings  of  that  night,  but  by  the 
entries  in  the  Ledger  of  that  day  as  follows: 

Received  of  Charles  Lewis  his  entrance  fee  £1  Is. 
6d.x 

Received  of  George  Washington  for  his  en- 
trance, £2  3s.  Od. 

HELPS   TO    EDUCATE   A    MINISTER 

The  Lodge  showed  great  liberality  from  its  or- 
ganization to  the  year  these  old  records  close.  In 
several  cases  persons  applying  for  help  received  as 
much  as  twenty-five  pounds.  One  noble  instance 
of  helping  a  struggling  young  man  who  was  prepar- 
ing himself  for  the  Christian  ministry,  is  recorded. 
His  name  was  Hamilton,  and  he  lived  probably,  at 
or  near  Dumfries,  in  Prince  William  county.  In 
reference  to  this,  we  find  the  following  entry  at  a 
meeting  held  on  the  5th  of  December,  1769: 

"On  a  motion  made  by  Brother  Mercer,  seconded 
by  Brother  Yates,  to  contribute  toward  the  expenses 
of  Brother  Hamilton's  going  to  England  to  re- 
ceive holy  orders,  it  is  agreed  by  the  Lodge  that  the 
sum  of  forty  pounds  currency  be  sent  him  by  the 
Treasurer  in  bond." 

1  Charles  Lewis  was  the  brother  of  Colonel  Fielding  Lewis 
who  married  Betty  (Elizabeth)  Washington,  the  sister  of 
George  Washington. 


208         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

After  his  visit  to  England  Brother  Hamilton  re- 
turned home  fully  equipped  for  his  work,  and  en- 
tered at  once  on  his  ministerial  labors,  frequently 
visiting  the  Lodge  and  participating  in  its  delibera- 
tions. 

RULES MASONIC  THEN,  UNMASONIC  NOW 

There  were  some  things  done  by  the  Lodge  in 
the  earlier  days  of  Masonry  in  this  country  that 
are  not  done  now,  and  some  of  them  are  so  differ- 
ent from  the  Masonry  of  today,  that  they  would 
not  be  allowed.  One  rule  was  compulsory  attend- 
ance on  all  regular  Lodge  meetings  under  the 
penalty  of  a  fine.  The  Lodge  had  such  a  rule  for 
some  years  after  its  organization,  which  applied  to 
country  as  well  as  to  town  members.  The  fine  was 
one  shilling,  which  was  collected  by  the  Treasurer, 
unless  the  brother  had  a  reasonable  excuse  for  his 
absence. 

Another  rule  the  Lodge  had  was  imposing  a  fine 
on  every  brother  who  swore  an  oath  (in  the  Lodge 

or  ante-room,  we  suppose) .  This  fine  was  also  one 
shilling,  and  while  the  Lodge  proceedings  say  noth- 
ing about  the  amount  of  revenue  derived  from  this 
source,  the  ledger  shows  that  many  shillings  were 
paid  in  for  the  violation  of  this  rule,  being  entered 
up  "one  oath  fine." 


AMERICAN  MASON  209 

WHERE  THE  LODGE  WAS  HELD 

From  the  organization  of  the  Lodge,  until  in  the 
year  1756,  the  meetings  of  the  Lodge  were  held 
over  the  Market-house,  which  then  stood  on  Main 
street,  reaching  from  Market  Alley  down  to  the 
second  building  below.  It  was  a  brick  structure, 
the  under  part  being  kept  as  a  market,  and  the 
upper  part  devoted  to  rooms  for  officials,  and  two 
larger  rooms  which  were  rented  by  the  Masons,  one 
of  which  was  used  for  the  Lodge-room,  and  the 
other  as  a  ball-room,  the  latter  being  often  used  by 
others  than  the  Masons.  The  former  was  the  room 
in  which  Washington  took  his  Masonic  degrees. 
In  the  year  1756,  the  day  of  the  meeting  of  the 
Lodge  was  changed  from  Saturday,  "to  the  day 
before  Spotsylvania  County  Court,"  and  the  place 
was  changed  from  the  Market-house  to  Charles 
Julian's  residence.  Charles  Julian  lived  in  Spot- 
sylvania county,  on  the  road  from  Fredericksburg 
to  Germanna  Ford  on  the  Rappahannock  river, 
where  the  county  seat  was  then  located  and  where 
Governor  Spottswood  lived.  The  Lodge  meetings 
were  held  at  Brother  Julian's  for  six  years,  when 
on  the  22nd  of  January,  1762,  it  was  "ordered  to 
be  removed  to  the  Market  house,  there  to  remain 
for  the  future,"  and  so  it  did  remain  there  from 
1762  to  1813,  when  the  Market-house  was  torn 


210         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

down.  The  bricks  that  came  out  of  the  old  Market- 
house,  or  most  of  them,  were  sold  to  two  parties 
who  built  other  houses  with  them.  One  of  the 
houses  built  of  those  bricks  was  located  on  the 
ground  now  occupied  by  the  depot  of  the  Richmond, 
Fredericksburg  and  Potomac  railroad,  and  was 
torn  down  when  that  building  was  erected.  The 
other  house  was  built  on  the  southeast  corner  of 
Princess  Ann  and  Commerce  streets,  since  torn 
down  in  order  to  build  the  present  building  which 
stands  on  that  corner. 

After  the  Market-house  was  torn  down,  the  Lodge 
was  moved  to  the  "Rising  Sun  Hotel,"  a  wooden 
structure  situated  on  the  west  side  of  Main  street, 
between  Fauquier  and  Hawk.  In  that  day,  and  for 
many  years  afterwards,  this  was  the  principal  hotel 
in  the  place,  and  is  where  all  Southern  Senators 
and  members  of  Congress  stopped  on  their  way 
to  Washington  city  and  on  their  return  home. 
Some  of  our  old  inhabitants  can  remember  well 
when  the  eccentric  John  Randolph,  of  Roanoke, 
used  to  stand  on  the  porch  of  this  building  and 
make  speeches  to  the  large  crowd  that  would  gather 
around.  The  Lodge  remained  in  this  building  for 
two  years,  during  which  time  the  present  Lodge 
room,  on  the  north-east  corner  of  Princess  Ann  and 
Hanover  streets,  was  built,  and  the  Lodge  was  then 


<u 
— 
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TJ 


ff! 


AMERICAN  MASON  211 

moved  to  that  building,  and  has  continued  to  occupy 
it  to  the  present  time. 

FREDERICKSBURG  LODGE  HOLDS 

THE  OLDEST  RECORD  OF  THE  ROYAL  ARCH  DEGREE 
IN  THE  WORLD 

We  sometimes  hear  brethren,  in  discussing  Ma- 
sonic usage,  refer  to  the  fact  that  in  old  times  the 
Royal  Arch  Degree  was  conferred  in  Master  Ma- 
sons' Lodges,  and  sometimes  we  read  of  it  in 
Masonic  literature.  In  looking  over  the  records  of 
the  Lodge  we  find  one  instance  of  the  conferring 
of  this  degree,  but  the  brethren  opened  what  they 
called  a  Royal  Arch  Lodge.  For  the  novelty  of  the 
thing  we  give  the  proceedings  of  that  meeting  in 
the  form  we  find  them  in  the  record-book. 

Dec.  22,  1753 — Which  night  the  Lodge  being 
assembled,  was  present: 

Right  Worshipful  Simon  Frazier,  G.  M., 

John  Nielson,  S.  W., 
"  "       Robert  Armistead,  J.  W., 

of  Royal  Arch  Lodge. 

Transactions  of  the  night — 

Daniel  Campbell, 

Robert  Halkerston, 

Alex.  Woodrow, 

Raised  to  the  degree  of  Royal  Arch  Masons. 


212         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

Royal  Arch  Lodge  being  shutt  Entered  apren- 
tices  Lodge  opened  present. 

Right  Worshipful  Dan-1  Campbell,  G.  M. 
John  Hulson,  S.  W., 
Robert  Walkerston,  J.  W. 
Alexr  Woodrow,  Secretary 

Robert  Armistead,  Treas.  pro  temp. 

Robert  Spotswoodf 

c.         T-I  •{  Visiting  Brothers 

bimon  r  razier        l 

John  Benger  was  admitted  a  member  of  this 
Lodge. 

CHARTER    FROM    THE    GRAND    LODGE    OF   SCOTLAND 

The  Lodge  appropriated  seven  pounds  at  a  meet- 
ing held  April  4th,  1757,  to  obtain  a  Charter  from 
the  Grand  Lodge  of  Scotland.  The  Charter  is 
still  in  existence  and  in  possession  of  the  Lodge. 
It  is  engrossed  on  the  very  best  of  parchment,  and 
although  it  is  one  hundred  and  sixty-five  years 
old,  and  has  passed  through  three  long  and  bloody 
wars,  there  is  not  a  break  or  a  defacement  in  it, 
which  shows  that  it  has  been  well  cared  for. 

CHARTERING   NEW   LODGES 

Fredericksburg  Lodge  chartered  as  many  as  two 
Lodges  before  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Virginia  was 
organized,  the  Lodge  at  Falmouth,  Virginia  (no 


AMERICAN  MASON  213 

longer  in  existence),  and  Botetourt  Lodge,  Glou- 
cester County,  Virginia. 

The  regularly  constituted  Lodges  then  in  Virgi- 
nia recognized  the  right  of  Fredericksburg  Lodge 
to  issue  these  charters,  because  they  recognized  both 
of  the  Lodges  thus  chartered.  Botetourt  Lodge 
still  holds  its  original  name.  At  the  meeting  of  the 
delegates  of  the  several  Lodges  in  Virginia,  held 
in  Williamsburg,  on  the  13th  October,  1778,  they 
elected  a  Grand  Master  for  Virginia.  Botetourt 
Lodge  in  Gloucester  county  was  represented  by 
James  Maury  Fontaine,  formerly  a  member  of  the 
Fredericksburg  Lodge,  one  of  the  Charter  members 
of  Botetourt  Lodge,  and  Christopher  Pryor.  And 
if  it  was  necessary  that  the  recognition  should  be 
more  complete,  we  have  but  to  point  to  the  fact 
that  Warner  Lewis,  who  was  a  Charter  member 
of  the  Gloucester  Lodge,  under  the  Fredericksburg 
authority,  was  tendered  the  position  of  Grand  Mas- 
ter at  that  same  meeting.  And  further;  it  is  not 
claimed  by  any  one  that  the  Gloucester  Lodge  had 
any  other  than  the  Fredericksburg  Charter  until  it 
was  chartered  by  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Virginia, 
after  the  organization  of  that  Grand  Body,  just  as 
the  other  Lodges  in  the  State  holding  charters  from 
different  authorities  were  chartered,  thus  showing 
that  the  recognition  of  the  Gloucester  Lodge,  by  the 


214         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

fraternity  under  its  first  authority  was  full  and 
complete. 

RELICS  OF  FREDERICKSBURG  LODGE 

On  the  24th  of  January,  1879,  Brother  James  T. 
Lowery  presented  to  the  Lodge,  for  Mrs.  M.  L. 
Boatwright,  a  lock  of  General  Washington's  hair. 
It  was  taken  from  his  head  after  his  election  as 
President  of  the  United  States,  and  has  been  kept 
in  the  Hamilton  family  until  1871,  when  it  was 
given  to  Mrs.  Robb,  of  King  George  county,  by  Mr. 
James  Hamilton,  of  Roxbury,  and  by  her  to  the  late 
Mrs.  M.  L.  Boatwright,  of  Fredericksburg,  who 
presented  it  to  the  Lodge.  It  is  a  very  small  lock, 
consisting  of  about  twenty  hairs,  which  show  con- 
siderable gray.  This  relic  is  framed  and  is  kept 
hanging  in  the  Lodge-room,  and  placed  under  the 
especial  care  of  the  Worshipful  Master. 

The  Lodge  has  also  a  fine  painting  of  Washing- 
ton, said  to  have  been  executed  from  life  by  the 
famous  Gilbert  Stuart.  No  one  can  tell  just  how 
or  when  it  came  into  possession  of  the  Lodge,  or 
how  it  was  saved  from  destruction  when  the  Lodge- 
room  was  sacked  during  the  war.  The  oldest 
member  of  the  Lodge,  as  long  ago  as  fifty  years, 
could  not  remember  when  this  painting  did  not 
hang  in  the  rear  of  the  chair  of  the  Worshipful 


AMERICAN  MASON  215 

Master,  and  the  opinion  of  experts  who  have  ex- 
amined it  is  that  it  is  either  one  of  the  original 
paintings  of  Stuart,  or  a  replica  of  the  unfinished 
portrait  of  Washington  by  Stuart  in  the  Atheneum 
Library  in  Boston. 

Another  valuable  relic  in  possession  of  the  Lodge 
is  the  Bible  upon  which  Washington  was  obligated 


Seal  of  Fredericksburg  Lodge 

as  a  Mason.  This  is  a  small  volume,  seven  inches 
wide  when  closed,  and  nine  inches  long  and  one 
inch  and  a  quarter  thick.  It  is  printed  in  small 
type,  probably  diamond,  with  the  old-fashioned  let- 
ter S,  and  is  strongly  bound  in  leather.  It  was 
printed  in  1668,  in  Cambridge,  by  John  Field, 
printer  to  the  University. 

The  old  Seal  of  the  Lodge,  which  was  so  highly 
prized  because  it  had  been  in  possession  of  the 
Lodge  so  long,  was  never  recovered  after  the  war. 
It  is  beautifully  engraved,  having  for  its  principal 
device  a  shield  crested  with  a  castle,  also  on  each 


216         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

of  its  points,  with  compasses  in  its  centre.  Below 
the  shield  is  the  motto,  "In  the  Lord  is  all  our  trust" 
—the  whole  surrounded  with  "Fredericksburgh 
Lodge."  As  the  seal  had  no  number  for  the  Lodge, 
it  is  supposed  by  some  to  be  the  seal  ordered  for  the 
Lodge  at  the  time  the  Scotch  Charter  was  applied 
for. 

ORGANIZATION  OF  THE   GRAND   LODGE   OF   VIRGINIA 

The  Fredericksburg  Lodge  took  an  active  part  in 
the  formation  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Virginia.  The 
movement  originated  with  the  Lodge  at  Williams- 
burg,  which  sent  out  letters  inviting  the  Lodges  to 
meet  in  convention  by  their  delegates  on  the  6th  day 
of  May,  1777,  "for  the  purpose  of  considering  the 
state  of  the  fraternity  in  Virginia,  its  needs,  and  to 
canvass  the  question  of  placing  at  the  head  of  the 
Craft  a  Grand  Master." 

The  first  reason  given  by  the  delegates  who  met 
to  organize  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Virginia  was  that 
there  were  five  distinct  and  separate  authorities 
claiming  jurisdiction  over  Lodges  in  Virginia — 
"The  Grand  Master  of  England,  Scotland,  Ireland, 
Pennsylvania,  and  America  (the  last  at  second 
hand)."  There  were  seven  Lodges  in  Virginia  at 
the  time  these  delegates  met,  May,  1777,  claiming 
this  authority:  The  Modern  and  Ancient  Grand 


AMERICAN  MASON  217 

Lodges  of  England,  which  became  united  in  1813; 
the  Grand  Lodges  of  Scotland,  Ireland,  and  Penn- 
sylvania ;  the  Lodge  at  Fredericksburg  which  gave 
the  charter  to  Botetourt  Lodge;  and  Deputy  Grand 
Master  Harriett  appointed  by  Cabin  Point  Royal 
Arch  Lodge,  which  also  took  part  in  forming  the 
Grand  Lodge  of  Virginia,  derived  its  charter  April 
13,  1775,  from  Joseph  Montfort,  Provincial  Grand 
Master  of  and  for  America. 

The  convention  assembled  at  Williamsburg  and 
five  Lodges  were  represented:  Norfolk,  Port 
Royal,  Blandford,  Williamsburg,  and  Cabin  Point 
Royal  Arch  Lodge  by  delegates,  and  two  Lodges, 
Fredericksburg  and  Botetourt,  by  letter.  Mat- 
thew Phripp,  of  Norfolk,  was  elected  chairman, 
and  James  Kemp,  of  Port  Royal,  was  made  Sec- 
retary. This  convention  appointed  a  committee 
to  draw  up  a  paper  setting  forth  the  reasons  why  a 
Grand  Master  should  be  appointed,  which  was 
prepared  and  submitted  to  an  adjourned  meeting 
of  the  convention  one  week  afterwards. 

The  report  also  recommended  that  another  con- 
vention be  held  on  the  23rd  of  June  following,  for 
the  purpose  of  electing  a  Grand  Master.  That  Con- 
vention was  held,  and  James  Mercer,  of  Fredericks- 
burg Lodge,  was  elected  President.  In  consequence 
of  but  five  Lodges  being  represented,  the  convention 


218         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

did  not  go  into  the  election  of  Grand  Master,  but 
recommended  that  the  Lodges  solicit  from  their 
respective  Grand  Masters  the  appointment  of  "some 
worthy  Mason  resident  within  this  State  as  Grand 
Master  thereof,  by  which  the  several  authorities  of 
the  several  Masters  in  England,  Scotland,  and  Ire- 
land, from  whom  the  several  Lodges  in  this  State 
hold  their  Charters  will  be  united  in  one  and  the 
same  person."  The  idea  then  was  that  this  Grand 
Master  should  resign  his  authority  into  the  hands 
of  the  several  Lodges  which  would  then  meet  in 
their  sovereign  capacity,  organize  a  Grand  Lodge 
and  elect  a  Grand  Master.  And  this  convention 
thought  such  a  course  proper  and  did  recommend 
as  a  suitable  person  for  this  appointment  His  Ex- 
cellency General  George  Washington,  and  further 
recommended  that  if  the  appointment  was  not  made 
by  the  first  day  of  the  next  June,  then  the  Lodges 
ought  to  meet  and  elect  a  Grand  Master  and  the 
President  was  authorized  to  call  the  convention  at 
that  time  for  that  purpose. 

The  next  meeting  of  the  deputies  was  not  held 
until  the  13th  of  October,  1778,  when  it  assembled 
in  Williamsburg  at  the  call  of  James  Mercer. 
There  were  but  four  Lodges  represented,  but  it  was 
decided  that  a  sufficient  number  was  present  to  pro- 
ceed to  business,  when  it  was  declared  to  be  the 


AMERICAN  MASON  219 

"opinion  of  this  convention  that  the  power  and 
authority  of  Cornelius  Harnett,  Esq.,  as  Deputy 
Grand  Master  of  America  does  not  now  exist." 
Cornelius  Harnett  was  appointed  as  Deputy  Grand 
Master  by  Grand  Master  Montfort  of  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  America.  After  the  death  of  Grand 
Master  Montfort  in  1776,  Harnett  sought  to  con- 
tinue that  body  and  assume  the  office  of  Grand 
Master  of  Masons  in  America,  but  the  Grand 
Lodges  refused  to  recognize  his  authority. 

The  Convention  then  proceeded  to  the  election  of 
Grand  Master,  and  Brother  Warner  Lewis,  for- 
merly a  member  of  Fredericksburg  Lodge  and  a 
charter  member  of  and  delegate  from  Botetourt 
Lodge,  was  nominated,  who  declining,  the  honor 
was  conferred  upon  Brother  John  Blair  of  Will- 
iamsburg  Lodge,  who  became  the  first  Grand  Mas- 
ter of  Masons  in  Virginia.  He  held  the  office  until 
1784  when  James  Mercer  of  Fredericksburg  Lodge 
was  elected  and  continued  in  office  for  two  years. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Grand  Lodge  in  1786  a 
resolution  was  adopted  regulating  and  designating 
the  rank  and  number  of  each  Lodge  then  organized 
in  Virginia,  and  the  Fredericksburg  Lodge  was 
rated  as  the  fourth  in  age  under  the  regular  Char- 
ter, and  given  the  number  4.  Since  that  time  it  has 
been  known  as  Fredericksburg  Lodge  No.  4.  These 


220         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

numbers  were  given  the  Lodges  according  to  the 
date  of  the  Charters  under  which  they  were  then 
working  and  not  from  the  date  of  the  organization 
of  the  Lodges.  This  plan  gave  the  Fredericksburg 
Lodge  the  number  4,  whereas  if  the  Lodges  had 
ranked  from  their  organization  it  would  have  been 
No.  2,  as  it  was  the  second  oldest  Lodge  in  the 
State — Norfolk  Lodge  being  the  oldest  by  eleven 
years. 

PUBLIC   SERVICES   OF   THE    LODGE 

Fredericksburg  Lodge,  No.  4,  has  taken  part  in 
various  public  services,  such  as  laying  corner- 
stones, dedicating  public  buildings,  unveiling  mon- 
uments, and  other  like  services,  as  well  as  making 
pilgrimages  to  Mount  Vernon,  the  tomb  of  Wash- 
ington, on  several  occasions.  Only  a  few  of  these 
services  are  briefly  described. 

FUNERAL   OF   WASHINGTON 

The  first  is  the  funeral  of  "our  late  Brother 
Geo.  Washington,"  on  the  second  Sunday  after  his 
death.  But  one  member  of  the  Lodge  had  the  sad 
privilege  of  being  at  Mount  Vernon  when  he  was 
laid  to  rest — that  one  was  Charles  M.  Lefevre,  who 
happened  to  be  in  Alexandria  at  the  time.  On  the 
second  Sabbath  morning  after  Washington's  death, 
amidst  the  tolling  of  bells,  which  had  commenced 


AMERICAN  MASON  221 

at  sunrise,  the  Lodge  met  in  the  Lodge-room  at  10 
o'clock,  preparatory  to  the  solemn  services  of  the 
occasion.  Grand  Master  Benjamin  Day,  a  former 
Master  of  the  Lodge,  took  the  East  and  made  the 
following  address  to  the  Lodge: 

"We  are  now,  brethren,  assembled  to  pay  the  last 
tribute  of  affection  and  respect  to  the  eminent  vir- 
tues and  exemplary  conduct  that  adorned  the 
character  of  our  worthy  deceased  Brother  GEORGE 
WASHINGTON.  He  was  early  initiated  in  this  ven- 
erable Lodge,  in  the  mysteries  of  our  ancient  and 
honorable  profession;  and  having  held  it  in  the 
highest  and  most  just  veneration,  the  fraternal 
attention  we  now  show  to  his  memory  is  the  more 
encumbent  upon  us.  He  is  gone  forever  from  our 
view,  but  gone  to  the  realms  of  celestial  bliss,  where 
the  shafts  of  malice  and  detraction  cannot  pene- 
trate, where  all  sublunary  distinctions  cease,  and 
merit  is  rewarded  by  the  scale  of  unerring  justice. 
While  the  tear  of  sympathy  is  excited  for  a  loss  so 
generally  and  deservedly  lamented,  let  us  recollect 
that  posterity  will  not  less  justly  appreciate  the 
talents  and  virtues  he  possessed.  As  a  man  he  was 
frail,  and  it  would  be  a  compliment  to  which  human 
nature  cannot  aspire  to  suppose  him  free  from 
peculiarities  or  exempt  from  error.  But  let  those 
who  best  know  him  determine  the  measure  to  which 


222         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

they  extend.  In  the  offices  of  private  life  he  was 
most  endeared  to  those  who  were  most  in  his 
familiarity  and  intimacy.  In  the  various  important 
appointments  of  public  confidence,  let  not  the  sin 
of  ingratitude  sully  the  historic  page  by  denying 
him  the  incense  of  public  applause.  Abler  pane- 
gyrists will  attend  at  the  sacred  altar  and  do  that 
justice  to  his  memory  to  which  his  merits  entitle 
him;  while  attendant  angels  await  his  immortal 
spirit  in  the  mansions  of  eternal  peace." 

The  procession  was  then  formed,  and  sorrow- 
fully wended  its  way  to  the  Church,  where  appro- 
priate services  were  held,  after  which  the  Lodge 
returned  to  its  hall. 

LAFAYETTE  MADE  A  MEMBER  OF  THE  LODGE 

Sunday,  November  28th,  1824,  was  an  occasion 
of  great  interest  to  the  members  of  Lodge  No.  4, 
and  to  the  citizens  of  Fredericksburg  and  vicinity 
generally.  It  was  the  occasion  of  the  visit  and  re- 
ception of  General  LaFayette  to  the  town  and  to 
the  Lodge-room.  He  had  made  his  grand  entrance 
into  the  town  the  day  before,  escorted  by  hundreds 
of  mounted  militia  with  martial  music,  amid  the 
greatest  display  and  wildest  enthusiasm  on  the  part 
of  the  people.  On  Sunday  morning,  the  General, 
his  son,  George  Washington  Lafayette,  and  his  com- 


AMERICAN  MASON  223 

panion,  Colonel  La  Vasseur,  all  Masons,  visited  the 
Lodge,  under  an  escort  of  the  members.  The  room 
was  filled  with  Masons,  among  whom  were  many 
distinguished  visitors,  and  the  ceremonies  were 
touching  and  solemn.  Previous  to  his  reception  in 
the  Lodge-room,  he  was  unanimously  elected  an 
honorary  member  of  the  Lodge,  and  when  his  pres- 
ence was  announced  the  members  arose  to  their 
feet,  and  the  Worshipful  Master — Col.  Wm.  F. 
Gray — descending  from  the  East  addressed  him  as 
follows: 

"BROTHER  LAFAYETTE: — In  the  name  of  my 
assembled  brethren,  I  bid  you  welcome  to  our 
Lodge,  welcome  to  our  homes,  welcome  to  our 
hearts.  We  thank  you,  my  brother,  heartily  thank 
you,  for  this  visit.  We  are  proud  of  this  oppor- 
tunity of  standing  on  a  level  with  one  whose  noble 
exertions  in  the  cause  of  humanity  have  filled  the 
world  with  his  name.  While  millions  of  freemen 
are  rushing  forth  with  enthusiasm  to  hail  your 
arrival,  and  exhausting  every  device  of  taste  and 
liberality  to  swell  the  full  tide  of  a  nation's  grati- 
tude to  one  of  her  most  illustrious  benefactors,  we 
as  Masons  desire  to  greet  you  by  the  endearing  ties 
of  our  profession,  and  renew  to  you  in  the  sincerity 
of  our  hearts  those  mystic  and  sacred  pledges  of 


224         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

FIDELITY  and  BROTHERLY  LOVE  which  are  due  to 
your  exalted  virtues. 

"On  this  occasion,  my  Brother,  it  cannot  be  un- 
interesting to  you,  as  the  early  friend  and  com- 
panion-in-arms of  our  beloved  Washington,  to  know 
that  this  Lodge  boasts  the  honor  of  being  his 
parent  Lodge.  Our  records  assure  us  that  on  the 
4th  day  of  November,  A.  L.  5752,  the  light  of 
Masonry  here  first  burst  upon  his  sight,  and  that 
within  the  pale  of  this  Lodge,  he  subsequently 
sought  and  obtained  further  illumination.  Here  he 
first  studied  those  liberal,  tolerant  and  benevolent 
principles  of  our  order,  which  have  since,  under 
Heaven,  been  through  him  and  his  worthy  com- 
patriots, so  happily  diffused  through  the  free  insti- 
tutions of  our  Government. 

"We  feel  a  peculiar  gratification,  my  honored 
Brother,  in  beholding  you  standing  within  the  body 
of  the  Lodge  where  he  has  so  often  stood  and 
assisted  in  our  labors  of  love.  We  would  gladly 
avail  ourselves  of  the  occasion  to  testify  to  you  our 
respect  and  fraternal  regard  by  receiving  you  into 
our  household.  I  have  the  pleasure  of  informing 
you  that  this  Lodge  has  today  elected  you  an 
honorary  member,  and  I  am  instructed  to  express 
to  you  our  united,  earnest  request,  that  you  will, 
before  you  leave  us,  inscribe  your  name  upon  the 


AMERICAN  MASON  225 

list  of  members.  It  already  bears  the  names  of 
WASHINGTON,  MERCER,  WOODFORD,  WEEDON,  and 
many  others  distinguished  for  their  virtues  and 
whose  names  live  in  our  country's  history.  It  will 
be  a  lasting  source  of  honorable  pride  to  know  that 
it  also  bears  the  name  of  LAFAYETTE.  Future  mem- 
bers will  peruse  the  proceedings  of  this  day  with 
devout  interest,  and  will  delight  to  trace  the  charac- 
ters inscribed  by  your  hand. 

"My  beloved  Brother,  you  will  soon  leave  us,  we 
may  never  more  meet,  but  the  anniversary  of  your 
advent  among  us  will  hereafter  form  a  bright  day 
in  our  calendar,  and  yearly,  as  we  assemble  to 
celebrate  it,  your  good  deeds  will  be  freshly  re- 
membered. We  would  fain  indulge  the  hope  that 
the  evening  of  your  days  may  be  spent  in  this 
happy  country,  peacefully  sheltered  under  the  vine 
and  fig  tree  which  your  youthful  hands  assisted  in 
planting  and  your  valor  in  defending.  But,  if  that 
may  not  be,  where'er  you  go,  in  whatsoever  land 
you  may  bide  the  remainder  of  your  time  in  this 
tabernacle  of  clay,  our  earnest  and  unceasing 
prayer  shall  be,  that  the  blessing  of  heaven  may  be 
round  you  and  over  you,  and  when  it  shall  please 
the  OMNISCIENT  to  call  you  hence,  may  you  be  re- 
ceived into  the  Grand  Lodge  above  among  the 
spirits  of  the  just  made  perfect." 


226         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

General  LaFayette,  with  great  emotion,  replied 
as  follows: 

"My  dear  Sir,  and  you  my  Brother. — The  pleas- 
ure I  ever  feel  in  our  fraternal  meetings  cannot  but 
be  enhanced  on  this  occasion  by  the  consideration 
that  in  this  city  the  first  lessons  of  childhood,  in  this 
Lodge,  the  first  lessons  of  Masonry  were  conferred 
upon  the  man  who  was  first  in  all  our  hearts.  In 
Masonry  he  was  our  brother,  in  matters  of  State, 
he  was  our  father.  I  shall  be  happy,  sir,  to  see  my 
name  united  with  those  respected  names  most  dear 
to  my  heart,  that  you  have  just  menioned.  And  I 
beg  you  all,  my  brethren,  to  accept  my  affectionate 
thanks  for  the  favor  you  have  conferred  upon  me, 
and  which  you,  sir,  have  been  pleased  so  kindly  to 
announce." 

The  General  then  walked  to  the  Secretary's  desk 
and  signed  his  name  to  the  roll  of  membership  in  a 
large,  bold  hand.  A  procession  was  then  formed 
and  moved  to  the  Episcopal  Church,  where  an  ex- 
cellent sermon  was  delivered  by  Rev.  Edward  C. 
McGuire,  to  a  densely  packed  house,  after  which 
the  brethren  returned  to  the  Lodge-room. 


AMERICAN  MASON  227 

MONUMENT   TO   MARY,    THE    MOTHER  OF 
WASHINGTON 

In  May,  1833,  the  Lodge,  assisted  by  Lodge  No. 
63,  laid  the  corner-stone  of  the  monument  to  MARY, 
the  mother  of  Washington,  on  the  western  outskirts 
of  the  town  of  Fredericksburg.  Brother  Samuel 
Howison  was  Master  of  the  Lodge  and  presided. 
Gen.  Andrew  Jackson,  President  of  the  United 
States,  and  Past  Grand  Master  of  Tennessee,  was 
present  by  invitation,  to  deliver  the  address. 
George  Washington  Basset,  a  relative  of  Gen. 
Washington,  was  Master  of  Ceremonies,  and  de- 
livered the  address  of  welcome  to  the  President 
and  his  party.  The  President's  oration  was  able 
and  eloquent  and  was  highly  appreciated  by  the 
immense  concourse  of  people  who  had  gathered 
from  all  quarters  to  witness  the  proceedings.  In 
his  reference  to  Gen.  Washington,  the  President 
says: 

"Many  years  have  passed  over  me,  but  they  have 
increased  instead  of  diminishing  my  reverence  for 
his  character  and  my  confidence  in  his  principles. 
Most  of  you,  my  friends,  must  speak  of  him  from 
report.  It  is  to  me  a  source  of  great  gratification 
that  I  can  speak  of  him  from  personal  knowledge 
and  observation,  so  I  am  unwilling  that  this  oppor- 


228         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

tunity  should  pass  away  without  bearing  my  testi- 
mony to  his  worth  and  services.  I  do  this  in  justice 
to  my  own  feelings.  His  fame  needs  no  feeble 
aid  from  me.  The  loving  witness  of  his  public 
and  private  life  will  soon  follow  him  to  the  tomb. 
Already  a  second  and  third  generation  are  upon 
the  theatre  of  action,  and  the  men  and  the  events 
of  the  Revolution,  and  the  interesting  period  be- 
tween it  and  the  firm  establishment  of  the  present 
Constitution,  must  ere  long  live  only  on  the  page 
of  history.  I  witnessed  the  public  conduct  and  the 
private  virtues  of  Washington,  and  I  saw  and  par- 
ticipated in  the  confidence  which  he  inspired  when 
probably  the  stability  of  our  institutions  depended 
upon  his  personal  influence." 

The  corner-stone  was  then  laid  with  the  solemn 
ceremonies  of  the  Masonic  order,  and  accompanied 
by  the  President,  the  Lodge  returned  to  their  hall. 

YORKTOWN    MONUMENT 

The  Lodge  received  an  invitation  from  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  Virginia  to  visit  Yorktown,  Va.,  on  the 
17th  of  October,  1881,  to  take  part  in  the  exercises 
of  laying  the  corner-stone  of  the  monument  to  be 
erected  by  the  United  States  Government  to  mark 
the  place  where  Lord  Cornwall  is  surrendered  the 


AMERICAN  MASON  229 

British  forces  to  Washington  one  hundred  years 
prior  to  that  day.  Quite  a  number  of  the  members 
of  the  Lodge  were  present.  The  Lodge  instructed 
the  Secretary  to  take  a  fly-leaf  from  the  old  Bible 
on  which  George  Washington  was  made  a  Mason, 
and  enter  thereon  Washington's  Masonic  connection 
with  the  Lodge,  and  forward  it  to  the  Grand  Secre- 
tary to  be  deposited  in  the  box  to  be  placed  in  the 
corner-stone.  The  leaf,  with  the  matter  recorded 
on  it,  together  with  a  roll  of  the  membership  of  the 
Lodge,  was  forwarded  and  deposited  as  directed. 

DEDICATION  OF  WASHINGTON  MONUMENT 

The  Washington  Monument  in  the  city  of  Wash- 
ington having  been  completed,  the  Grand  Lodge 
of  the  District  of  Columbia  was  called  upon  to 
perform  the  services  of  dedicating  it  on  the  21st 
day  of  February,  1885.  No.  4,  as  Washington's 
mother  Lodge,  received  a  special  invitation  to  be 
present  and  participate  in  the  exercises.  On  the 
morning  of  that  day  the  Lodge  assembled — Wor. 
A.  B.  Botts,  Worshipful  Master — and  proceeded  to 
Washington  city.  On  their  arrival  in  the  city  they 
were  conducted  to  the  Masonic  Temple,  where  they 
met  with  a  warm  reception  by  the  fraternity  of  the 
District,  and  being  placed  in  a  position  of  honor 
in  the  line,  marched  to  the  monument,  where 


230         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

the  services  were  conducted  by  Most  Worshipful 
M.  M.  Parker,  Grand  Master  of  the  District  of 
Columbia.  By  special  request  the  Lodge  carried 
with  it  the  Bible  upon  which  Washington  was  obli- 
gated as  a  Mason,  and  as  the  Grand  Master  held  it 
up  and  called  attention  to  its  history,  all  eyes  were 
turned  to  it,  as  it  was  regarded  the  most  interesting 
relic  exhibited  on  that  occasion.  A  handsome  ban- 
quet was  given  to  the  fraternity  that  evening  by  the 
Grand  Lodge  of  the  District,  at  which  No.  4  re- 
ceived marked  distinction  because  of  its  ancient 
and  honorable  history. 

LOSSES  DURING  THE  CIVIL  WAR 

Fredericksburg  Lodge  has  survived  five  wars — 
the  war  of  the  Revolution,  the  war  of  1812,  the 
war  "between  the  States,"  Spanish-American  War, 
and  the  World  War.  The  first  war  drew  heavily 
upon  the  membership  of  the  Lodge  for  soldiers  to 
fill  positions  from  the  Commander-in-Chief  to  the 
private  in  the  ranks,  and  thus  her  membership  at 
home  was  so  small  during  those  trying  times,  that 
few  meetings  were  held.  The  war  of  1812  was 
not  so  exacting;  although  many  of  her  members 
became  distinguished  in  that  contest,  yet  the  meet- 
ings of  the  Lodge  were  held  with  tolerable  regu- 
larity. 


AMERICAN  MASON  231 

It  was  in  the  war  "between  the  States"  that  the 
Lodge  suffered  most  in  membership  and  property. 
The  only  things  saved  at  all  belonging  to  the  Lodge 
were  the  records  of  the  proceedings  from  the 
organization  of  the  Lodge,  in  1752,  to  the  6th  of 
December,  1771;  the  old  ledger  attached  to  these 
old  records,  the  old  Bible  upon  which  Washington 
was  obligated  as  a  Mason,  and  the  old  Scotch  and 
Virginia  Charters.  Fortunately  for  the  Lodge  and 
the  Masonic  fraternity,  these  relics  were  in  the 
possession  of  Worthy  Brother  William  Ware,  in 
Danville,  Va.,  and  escaped  the  fate  of  the  other 
relics  and  property  of  the  Lodge.  Worthy  Brother 
Ware  was  enabled  to  preserve  these  valuable  relics 
from  the  fact  that  he  was  Cashier  of  the  Virginia 
Bank  at  Fredericksburg,  in  whose  vault  they  were 
placed  for  safe  keeping;  and  when  he  refugeed  to 
Danville,  knowing  their  historical  value  and  how 
highly  they  were  esteemed  by  the  Lodge,  he  took 
them  with  him,  and  brought  them  back  safely  when 
he  returned  after  the  war  was  over.  By  this 
thoughtfulness  of  Worthy  Brother  Ware,  we  have 
now  the  records  and  the  proof  of  the  initiation, 
passing,  and  raising  of  George  Washington  in  the 
Fredericksburg  Lodge. 


232         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

GRAND  .MASTERS 

Fredericksburg  Lodges  have  furnished  eight 
Grand  Masters  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Virginia, 
seven  being  from  No.  4,  and  one  from  No.  63. 

JAMES  MERCER  was  elected  on  the  4th  day  of 
November,  1784,  and  served  until  the  27th  day  of 
October,  1786.  He  was  born  and  raised  in  Fred- 
ericksburg, and  was  a  lawyer  by  profession.  He 
was  a  man  of  decided  ability,  and  a  great  friend  to 
Washington.  He  presided  over  the  second  conven- 
tion held  preliminary  to  organizing  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  Virginia,  and  recommended  Washington 
as  the  proper  person  upon  whom  all  the  Grand 
Lodges  could  unite  for  appointment  of  Grand  Mas- 
ter for  Virginia,  that  all  Masonic  authority  in  the 
State  might  centre  in  one  officer,  there  being  at  that 
time  many  Grand  Bodies  and  Grand  Masters  claim- 
ing authority.  He  was  President  of  the  first  Court 
of  Appeals  for  Virginia,  which  position  he  filled 
with  distinguished  ability. 

ROBERT  BROOKE  was  elected  Grand  Master  on 
the  23rd  of  November,  1795,  and  held  the  office  un- 
til the  27th  of  November,  1797.  He  was  a  lawyer- 
farmer,  and  lived  at  St.  Julian,  in  Spotsylvania 
county,  about  eight  miles  below  Fredericksburg. 
He  was  elected  Governor  of  Virginia  in  1794,  and 


AMERICAN  MASON  233 

served  with  distinction  in  that  capacity  for  two 
years,  his  term  expiring  in  1796. 

BENJAMIN  DAY  was  elected  Grand  Master  on  the 
27th  of  November,  1797,  immediately  succeeding 
Most  Wor.  Robert  Brooke,  and  was  twice  re-elected, 
serving  for  three  years  and  until  the  8th  of  Decem- 
ber, 1800.  Some  few  of  our  citizens  remember 
Major  Day,  "with  his  ruffled  shirt,  knee-breeches, 
and  powdered  cue,"  but  remember  nothing  of  his 
business  and  manner  of  life;  therefore,  in  the 
absence  of  memory  of  him  or  written  biography, 
we  give  the  inscription  found  on  his  tombstone  in 
the  Masonic  burying-ground  in  Fredericksburg, 
placed  there  by  neighbors  who  knew  him  well: 
"In  memory  of  Benjamin  Day,  born  in  London, 
24th  September,  1752,  and  died  in  Fredericksburg, 
16th  of  February,  1821.  He  removed  to  this  coun- 
try early  in  life,  and  took  an  active  part  in  the 
Revolution,  having  served  with  credit  as  an  officer 
of  the  American  army.  A  great  portion  of  his  time 
since  has  been  devoted  to  the  public  in  discharging 
the  duties  of  magistrate,  in  which  he  was  uncom- 
monly zealous  and  useful.  The  Female  Charity 
School  of  Fredericksburg  is  chiefly  indebted  to  him 
for  its  origin  in  1795,  and  for  its  prosperity  to  his 
unremitted  attention  in  the  principal  management 


234         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

of  its  concerns,  over  which  he  presided  until  the 
time  of  his  death." 

OSCAR  M.  CRUTCHFIELD  was  elected  Grand  Mas- 
ter on  the  14th  of  December,  1841,  and  served  two 
years,  until  the  12th  of  December,  1843.  Most 
Worthy  Brother  Crutchfield  was  born  at  Spring 
Forest,  in  Spotsylvania  county,  Va.,  on  the  16th  of 
January,  1800,  and  spent  the  whole  of  his  useful 
life  in  that  county.  For  many  years  he  was  the  pre- 
siding magistrate  and  presided  over  the  county 
court.  For  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  repre- 
sented his  county  in  the  Legislature,  and  was  for 
ten  years  Speaker  of  the  House.  His  home  being  in 
the  western  part  of  the  county  and  his  Lodge  lo- 
cated in  the  eastern  part,  he  seldom  attended  the 
Lodge,  and  so  far  as  known,  never  held  any  of- 
ficial position  in  the  Lodge;  he  was,  therefore, 
elected  and  served  as  Grand  Master  without  having 
been  a  Worshipful  Master  of  a  Subordinate  Lodge. 
In  consequence  of  his  being  in  Richmond  attending 
the  Legislature,  he  was  probably  called  upon  by  his 
brethren,  year  after  year,  to  represent  the  Lodge  in 
the  Grand  Lodge,  and  while  discharging  this  duty, 
was  placed  in  line  of  promotion,  and  continued  un- 
til he  reached  the  Grand  East.  He  died  on  the  15th 
of  May,  1861,  and  was  buried  at  his  old  home, 
Green  Branch,  in  Spotsylvania  county. 


AMERICAN  MASON  235 

BEVERLEY  R.  WELLFORD,  JR.,  was  elected 
Grand  Master  in  December,  1877,  and  served  two 
years,  his  term  closing  December,  1879.  His  first 
annual  address  to  the  Grand  Lodge  was  perhaps 
one  of  the  ablest  papers  ever  read  before  that 
Grand  Body.  Applause  followed  its  reading,  and  a 
motion,  which  was  adopted  unanimously,  that  ten 
thousand  copies  of  it  be  printed  in  pamphlet  form 
for  circulation  among  the  Craft,  a  compliment  sel- 
dom paid  to  a  Grand  Master  in  Virginia.  Most 
Worshipful  Brother  Wellford  is  a  native  of 
Fredericksburg,  and  having  received  a  col- 
legiate education,  selected  the  law  as  his  pro- 
fession. He  was  an  active  member  of  Lodge 
No.  4,  before  the  war,  and  held  nearly  every  office 
in  it,  including  that  of  Worshipful  Master.  Just 
before  the  war  he  settled  in  Richmond,  where  he 
practiced  his  profession  with  success,  and  to  which 
place  he  moved  his  membership  and  became  a 
member  of  Metropolitan  Lodge,  No.  11,  and  while 
he  was  not  a  member  of  Lodge  No.  4  at  the  time 
he  was  elected  Grand  Master,  the  Lodge  still  asserts 
her  claim  to  him.  Brother  Wellford  held  for  sev- 
eral years  the  high  and  responsible  position  of 
Judge  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  the  city  of  Richmond, 
which  he  adorned  with  culture,  ability,  and  up- 
rightness. 


236         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

CAPT.  SILVANUS  JACKSON  QUINN  was  born  in 
Georgia  March  8,  1837,  moving  to  Mississippi  at 
the  age  of  ten.  He  served  throughout  the  War 
Between  the  States,  being  promoted  to  Captain  of 
Co.  A,  13th  Miss.  Reg.,  Barksdale's  Brigade. 

He  was  made  a  Master  Mason  in  1863.  At  the 
close  of  the  war  he  married  and  settled  in  Fred- 
ericksburg,  at  once  identifying  himself  with  its 
public  interests,  filling  with  faithfulness  many 
prominent  positions  of  honor  and  trust.  He  served 
Fredericksburg  Lodge,  No.  4,  as  Worshipful  Mas- 
ter three  years,  1874-76  and  1888-89. 

He  was  elected  Grand  Master  of  Masons  in  Vir- 
ginia in  1907,  serving  one  year.  His  address  be- 
fore the  Grand  Lodge  of  Virginia  in  1908  is 
considered  a  literary  masterpiece,  and  has  been 
printed  and  sent  to  all  parts  of  the  world.  His 
contributions  to  literature  include  histories  of 
Fredericksburg  Lodge,  No.  4,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and 
the  city  of  Fredericksburg. 

Most  Worthy  Brother  Quinn  was  a  leader  in 
Church  and  Masonic  circles,  his  well-balanced 
judgment,  keen  discernment,  broad  culture  and 
splendid  ability  commanding  the  admiration  of  the 
public.  He  was  a  tower  of  strength  to  all  causes 
that  make  for  higher  citizenship.  His  was  a  beauti- 
ful life  lived  to  benefit  mankind;  truly  the  fra- 


AMERICAN  MASON  237 

grance  of  his  wise  and  gentle  spirit  lingers  far 
down  the  years. 

On  Sept.  6,  1910,  M.  W.  Brother  Quinn  passed 
to  the  Celestial  Lodge  above  and  was  buried  with 
Masonic  honors  by  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Virginia  in 
the  family  lot  in  the  City  Cemetery. 

PHILIP  K.  BAUMAN,  born  abroad,  came  with  his 
parents  to  Fredericksburg,  Va.,  in  the  third 
year  of  his  age.  He  grew  up  in  the  community, 
and  acquired  a  meagre  common  school  education. 
Physically  active  and  mentally  alert,  he  engaged 
early  in  business,  and  prospered.  In  young  man- 
hood he  was  made  a  Mason,  and  Free  Masonry 
became  a  controlling  factor  in  the  subsequent 
development  of  his  character  and  career.  A  mem- 
ber of  Fredericksburg  Lodge,  No.  4,  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
till  his  death,  Brother  Bauman  also  held  dual  mem- 
berships in  Arlington  Lodge,  No.  103,  and  in 
Bauman  Lodge,  which  he  founded  at  Sharps,  Va. 

Proficient  in  the  ritual,  and  an  earnest  student  of 
the  tenets  of  the  Order,  Brother  Baumann  was  Mas- 
ter of  each  of  the  Lodges  in  which  he  held  member- 
ship, not  once,  but  several  terms,  except  Freder- 
icksburg Lodge,  No.  4,  of  which  he  was  Junior 
Warden  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  a  Royal 
Arch  Mason  of  Fredericksburg  Chapter,  No.  23, 
R.  A.  M.  In  the  Commandery,  after  five  terms  as 


238         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

Eminent  Commander,  Sir  Philip  peremptorily  de- 
clined to  serve  again.  For  one  term  he  was  Grand 
Master  of  Masons  of  Virginia,  and  when  death 
claimed  him,  Grand  Officers  and  Past  Grand  Officers 
from  all  over  Virginia,  some  even  from  other  states, 
assembled  to  attend  his  obsequies. 

AMERICAN  LODGE,  NO.  63 

In  1801,  on  account  of  political  and  social  differ- 
ences among  the  brethren,  a  number  united  and 
applied  for  a  dispensation  to  organize  a  new  Lodge 
in  Fredericksburg,  to  be  known  as  Fredericksburg 
American  Lodge.  The  dispensation  was  granted 
on  the  26th  day  of  February,  1801,  and  on  the  15th 
day  of  December  of  the  same  year  a  charter  was 
granted,  appointing  George  W.  B.  Spooner  (who 
was  Master  under  the  dispensation)  Worshipful 
Master;  Richard  Johnston,  Senior  Warden,  and 
Robert  Hening,  Junior  Warden;  the  number  of  the 
Lodge  being  63.  The  Lodge  flourished  until  the 
breaking  out  of  the  war  between  the  states,  when  it 
suspended  and  was  never  resuscitated.  It  had 
among  its  members  some  of  Fredericksburg's  best 
citizens,  nearly  all  of  whom  have  since  affiliated 
with  No.  4.  This  Lodge  furnished  one  Grand 
Master  of  Virginia,  HON.  JOHN  S.  CALDWELL,  in 
1856.  This  makes  eight  Grand  Masters  Freder- 


AMERICAN  MASON  239 

icksburg  Lodges  have  given  to  the  Masons  of 
Virginia. 

OLD  LIST  OF  MEMBERS 

A  most  interesting  relic  is  an  autograph  roll  of 
members,  beginning  about  the  year  1765  and  end- 
ing 1786.  This  roll  contains  one  hundred  and 
thirty-one  names,  among  whom  are  some  of  the 
leading  men  in  those  days  in  the  different  profes- 
sions, as  well  as  soldiers,  statesmen,  and  jurists. 
Thousands  of  citizens,  scattered  to  the  four  points 
of  the  compass,  will  recognize  among  them  their 
ancestors,  those  patriotic,  liberty-loving  Masons, 
many  of  whom  were  conspicuous  in  the  achievement 
of  American  independence. 

But  among  our  honored  brethren  who  have 
sacrificed  their  lives  for  their  fellowmen,  none  oc- 
cupy a  higher  place  in  our  esteem  and  affection 
than  Dr.  Francis  Preston,  a  Past  Master  of  our 
Lodge,  and  William  Willis,  a  Past  Senior  Warden. 
Both  sacrificed  their  lives  nursing  the  victims  of 
the  scourge  of  yellow  fever,  the  former  in  Fernan- 
dina,  Florida,  in  1876;  and  the  latter  in  Memphis, 
Tennessee,  in  1877.  They  responded  to  the  call 
for  volunteers,  when  the  Physicians  of  these  cities 
were  worn  out  and  exhausted,  and  most  of  the 
inhabitants  except  the  sick  and  dying  had  deserted 
these  cities. 


240         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 


Robert  Armstead 
Rev.  John  Agnew 
William  Allason 
John  Aylett 
Robert  Andrews 
Bowls  Armstead 
Jonas  P.  Adams 
J.  D.  Aldsop 
Thomas  L.  Allison 
James  Buchanan 
John  Black 
John  Benger 
Joseph  Baker 
Thomas  Burden 
William  Ball 
David  Blair 
Lewis  Burwell 
William  Byrd 
Bennett  Brown 
James  Brown 
Robert  Benson 
B.  Ball 

Andrew  Buchanan 
James  Blair 
Robert  Brooke 
James  Barber 
Daniel  Campbell 
William  Cunninghame 
Edward  Carter 
William  Champe 
James  Colquhoun 
Alexander  Cunninghame 
Charles  Carter 
Peter  Crawford 
Lachlan  Campbell 
Thomas  Carr 
Robert  Beverly  Chew 


Philippes  Lewis  Candon 
V.  D.  Camp 
Charles  Croughton 
Robert  Duncanson 
James  Duncanson 
Nathaniel  West  Dandridge 
Robert  Dick 
James  Douglass 
Burket  Davenport 
Alexander  Donald 
James  Denniston 
William  Dangerfield 
William  Drew 
Daniel  Fitz  Hugh 
Joseph  Fox 
George  Frazier 
Simon  Frazier 
Rev.    James    Maury    Fon- 
taine 

George  French 
Richard  Gambole 
Ludwell  Grimes 
Richard  Graham 
Samuel  Griffin 
John  Glassel 
Israel  Gil  pin 
William  Grimmes 
James  Gillis 
William  Glassell 
Benjamin  Grimes,  Jr. 
Robert  Halkerson 
William  Hedgman 
Benjamin  Hawkins 
Edward  Hubbard 
Henry  Habrison 
Richard  Holt 
Adam  Hunter 


AMERICAN  MASON 


241 


Isaac  Heaslop 
James  Hume 
Rev.  Archie  Hamilton 
William  Hunter 
James  Herdman 
Hugh  Houston 
Francis  Irvin 
Robert  Johnston 
Thomas  Jones 
Charles  Julian 
Andrew  Johnston 
Benjamin  Johnston 
William  Jackson 
Edward  Jones 
William  Johnston,  Jr. 
John  Julian 
John  Jamason 
William  Knox 
Charles  Lewis 
Thomas  Landram 
Hugh  Lennox 
Fielding  Lewis 
Samuel  Lyde 
Peter  Lucas 
John  Lewis 
Andrew  Leitch 
John  Leitch 
John  Lustie 
Richard  Lamb 
Hezekiah  Levy 
Warner  Lewis 
William  McWilliams 
Willock  Macky 
Rev.  Adam  Menzier 
James  McKillrick 
James  Mercer 
Ralph  McFarlane 


James  McPherson 

George  Mercer 

Rev.  James  Marye 

George  McCall 

Hugh  Mercer 

Neil  McCoull 

Alexander  McKay 

Henry  Mitchell 

John  Miller 

George  Mitchell 

Hudson  Muse 

Rev.  William  Meldrum 

Edward  Moore 

Thomas  Montgomerie 

John  Meals 

Fontaine  Maury 

Theodore  Martin 

Robert  Merser 

John  Neilson 

George  Noble 

John  Neilson,  Jr. 

Nathaniel  Pope 

Robert  Phillips 

George  Pattie 

Mann  Page,  Sr.  (of  Glou- 
cester) 

Mann  Page,  Sr.  (Mans- 
field, Spotsylvania) 

Mann  Page,  Jr.  (of  Glou- 
cester) 

Mann  Page,  Jr.  (Mans- 
field, Spotsylvania) 

William  Porter 

Robert  Patton 

John  Penny 

Thomas  Possy 

Walter  Payne 


242 


WASHINGTON 


Charles  Pearson 
William  P.  Quarles 
Gavin  Rodgers 
John  Richards 
Thomas  Robertson 
William  Reid 
Robert  Richie 
James  Robb 
T.  Reintz 
John  Sutherland 
Waller  Stewart 
James  Straughan 
John  Sorrell 
John  Stewart 
Robert  Spotswood 
John  Semple 
Alexander  Shepherd 
William  Scott 
Richard  Selden 
Antony  Strother 
William  Straughan 
James  Somerville 
Robert  Slaughter 
John  Spotswood 
William  Smith 
John  Smith 
John  Swan 
Lawrence  Slaughter 
William  Stone 
Colonel  John  Thornton 
Reuben  Thornton 
Edmund  Taylor 
John  Turner 
William  Thompson 
Francis  Taliaferro 
John  Taliaferro   (King 
George) 


Thomas  Thornton 

G.  C.  Tucker 

Charles  Turner 

John  Taliaferro    (Spotsyl- 

vania) 

Oliver  Towles 
Charles  Urquhart 
Jacob  Von  Braam 
Zachariah  Vawter 
Edward  Vass 
Alexander  Wodrow 
George  Washington 
George  Waugh 
Henry  Willis 
Cowrie  Waugh 
Henry  Woodward 
John  Williams 
Lewis  Willis 
George  Weedon 
Thomas  Walker 
John  Whitefield 
William  Woodford 
Henry  Woodford 
Robert  Willis 
James  Weatherston 
James  Wignall 
John  Welch 
Gustav.  B.  Wallace 
William  B.  Wallace 
Henry  White 
George  Wheeler 
William  Woddrop 
John  Wingate 
Charles  Woodmason 
Charles  Yates 


PART  VI 


GEORGE  WASHINGTON'S  WILL 

VIRGINIA,  Fairfax,  ss. 

I,  George  Deneale,  Clerk  of  Fairfax  County  Court, 
do  certify,  That  the  subsequent  copy  of  the  last 
Will  and  Testament  of  GEORGE  WASHINGTON,  de- 
ceased, late  President  of  the  United  States  of 
America,  with  the  Schedule  annexed,  is  a  true 
copy  from  the  original,  recorded  in  my  office. 
In  testimony  whereof,  I  have  hereunto  set 
my  hand,  this  23d  day  of  January,  1800. 
GEO.  DENEALE,  C.  F.  C. 

IN  THE  NAME  OF  GOD,  Amen. 

1   GEORGE  WASHINGTON,  of  Mount  Vernon, 
>  a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  and  lately  presi- 
dent of  the  same,  Do  make,  ordain,  and  declare  this 
Instrument,  which  is  written  with  my  own  hand,  and 
every  page  thereof  subscribed  with  my  name,*  to 

*  In  the  original  manuscript,  GEORGE  WASHINGTON'S  name  it 
written  at  the  bottom  of  every  page. 

243 


244         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

be  my  LAST  WILL  AND  TESTAMENT,  revoking  all 
others. 

Imprimis.  All  my  debts,  of  which  there  are  but 
few,  and  none  of  magnitude,  are  to  be  punctually 
and  speedily  paid;  and  the  legacies  hereinafter 
bequeathed,  are  to  be  discharged  as  soon  as  cir- 
cumstances will  permit,  and  in  the  manner  directed. 

Item.  To  my  dearly  beloved  wife,  Martha 
Washington,  I  give  and  bequeath  the  use,  profit, 
and  benefit  of  my  whole  estate,  real  and  personal, 
for  the  term  of  her  natural  life,  except  such  parts 
thereof  as  are  specially  disposed  of  hereafter.  My 
improved  lot  in  the  town  of  Alexandria,  situated  on 
Pitt  and  Cameron  streets,  I  give  to  her  and  her  heirs 
forever;  as  I  also  do  my  household  and  kitchen 
furniture  of  every  sort  and  kind,  with  the  liquors 
and  groceries  which  may  be  on  hand  at  the  time  of 
my  decease,  to  be  used  and  disposed  of  as  she  may 
think  proper. 

hem.  Upon  the  decease  of  my  wife,  it  is  my 
will  and  desire,  that  all  the  slaves  which  I  hold  in 
my  own  right,  shall  receive  their  freedom.  To 
emancipate  them  during  her  life,  would,  though 
earnestly  wished  by  me,  be  attended  with  such  in- 
superable difficulties,  on  account  of  their  intermix- 
ture by  marriage  with  the  dower  negroes,  as  to  ex- 
cite the  most  painful  sensations,  if  not  disagree- 


AMERICAN  MASON  245 

able  consequences  to  the  latter,  while  both  descrip- 
tions are  in  the  occupancy  of  the  same  proprietor; 
it  not  being  in  my  power,  under  the  tenure  by 
which  the  negroes  are  held,  to  manumit  them.  And 
whereas,  among  those  who  will  receive  freedom  ac- 
cording to  this  device,  there  may  be  some  who, 
from  old  age  or  bodily  infirmities,  and  others  who, 
on  account  of  their  infancy,  will  be  unable  to  sup- 
port themselves,  it  is  my  will  and  desire  that  all 
who  come  under  the  first  and  second  description, 
shall  be  comfortably  clothed  and  fed  by  my  heirs 
while  they  live ;  and  that  such  of  the  latter  descrip- 
tion as  have  no  parents  living,  or,  if  living,  shall 
be  unable  or  unwilling  to  provide  for  them,  shall 
be  bound  by  the  court  until  they  shall  arrive  at  the 
age  of  twenty-five  years;  and  in  cases  where  no  rec- 
ord can  be  produced,  whereby  their  ages  can  be  as- 
certained, the  judgment  of  the  court  upon  its  own 
view  of  the  subject,  shall  be  adequate  and  final. 
The  negroes  thus  bound,  are,  by  their  masters  or 
mistresses,  to  be  taught  to  read  and  write,  and  be 
brought  up  to  some  useful  occupation,  agreeably  to 
the  laws  of  the  commonwealth  of  Virginia,  provid- 
ing for  the  support  of  orphan  and  other  poor  chil- 
dren. And  I  do  hereby  expressly  forbid  the  sale 
or  transportation  out  of  the  said  commonwealth,  of 
any  slave  I  may  die  possessed  of,  under  any  pre- 


246         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

tense  whatsoever.  And  I  do  moreover  most  point- 
edly and  most  solemnly  enjoin  it  upon  my  execu- 
tors hereafter  named,  or  the  survivors  of  them,  to 
see  that  this  clause  respecting  slaves,  and  every  part 
thereof,  be  religiously  fulfilled  at  the  epoch  at 
which  it  is  directed  to  take  place,  without  evasion, 
neglect,  or  delay,  after  the  crops  which  may  then  be 
on  the  ground  are  harvested,  particularly  as  it  re- 
spects the  aged  and  infirm;  seeing  that  a  regular 
and  permanent  fund  be  established  for  their  sup- 
port as  long  as  they  are  subjects  requiring  it,  not 
trusting  to  the  uncertain  provision  made  by  individ- 
uals. And,  to  my  mulatto  man,  William,  calling 
himself  William  Lee,  I  give  immediate  freedom,  or 
if  he  should  prefer  it,  on  account  of  the  accidents 
which  have  befallen  him,  and  which  have  rendered 
him  incapable  of  walking,  or  any  other  active  em- 
ployment, to  remain  in  the  situation  in  which  he 
now  is,  it  shall  be  optional  to  him  to  do  so ;  in  either 
case,  however,  I  allow  him  an  annuity  of  thirty  dol- 
lars during  his  natural  life,  which  shall  be  inde- 
pendent of  the  victuals  and  clothes  he  has  been  ac- 
customed to  receive,  if  he  chooses  the  latter  alterna- 
tive; but  in  full  with  his  freedom,  if  he  prefers  the 
first;  and  this  I  give  him  as  a  testimony  of  my  sense 
of  his  attachment  to  me,  and  for  his  faithful  services 
during  the  revolutionary  war. 


AMERICAN  MASON  247 

Item.  To  the  trustees,  governors,  or  by  what- 
soever other  name  they  may  be  designated,  of  the 
academy  in  the  town  of  Alexandria,  I  give  and  be- 
queath, in  trust,  four  thousand  dollars,  or  in  other 
words,  twenty  of  the  shares  which  I  hold  in  the  bank 
of  Alexandria,  toward  the  support  of  a  free  school, 
established  at,  and  annexed  to,  the  said  academy, 
for  the  purpose  of  educating  orphan  children,  or 
the  children  of  such  other  poor  and  indigent  per- 
sons as  are  unable  to  accomplish  it  with  their  own 
means,  and  who,  in  the  judgment  of  the  trustees  of 
the  said  seminary,  are  best  entitled  to  the  benefit  of 
this  donation.  The  aforesaid  twenty  shares  I  give 
and  bequeath  in  perpetuity,  the  dividends  of  which 
are  to  be  drawn  for,  and  applied  by  the  said  trus- 
tees, for  the  time  being,  for  the  uses  above  men- 
tioned; the  stock  to  remain  entire  and  untouched, 
unless  indications  of  failure  of  the  said  bank 
should  be  so  apparent,  or  a  discontinuance  thereof 
should  render  a  removal  of  this  fund  necessary. 
In  either  of  these  cases,  the  amount  of  the  stock 
here  devised  is  to  be  vested  in  some  other  bank  or 
public  institution,  whereby  the  interest  may  with 
regularity  and  certainty  be  drawn  and  applied  as 
above.  And,  to  prevent  misconception,  my  mean- 
ing is,  and  is  hereby  declared  to  be,  that  these 
twenty  shares  are  in  lieu  of,  and  not  in  addition  to, 


248         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

the  £1000  given  by  missive  letter  some  years  ago, 
in  consequence  whereof  an  annuity  of  £50  has 
since  been  paid  to  the  support  of  this  institution. 
Item.  Whereas  by  a  law  of  the  commonwealth 
of  Virginia,  enacted  in  the  year  1785,  the  legisla- 
ture thereof  was  pleased,  as  an  evidence  of  its  ap- 
probation of  the  services  I  had  rendered  the  public 
during  the  revolution,  and  partly,  I  believe,  in  con- 
sideration of  my  having  suggested  the  vast  advan- 
tages which  the  community  would  derive  from  the 
extension  of  its  inland  navigation,  under  legislative 
patronage,  to  present  me  with  one  hundred  shares 
of  one  hundred  dollars  each,  in  the  incorporated 
company  established  for  the  purpose  of  extending 
the  navigation  of  the  James  River,  from  the  tide 
water  to  the  mountains;  and  also  with  fifty  shares 
of  £100  sterling  each,  in  the  corporation  of  another 
company,  likewise  established  for  the  similar  pur- 
pose of  opening  the  navigation  of  the  river  Potom- 
mac,  from  the  tidewater  to  Fort  Cumberland;  the 
acceptance  of  which,  although  the  offer  was  highly 
honorable  and  grateful  to  my  feelings,  was  refused, 
as  inconsistent  with  a  principle  which  I  had  adopted, 
and  have  never  departed  from;  namely,  not  to 
receive  pecuniary  compensation  for  any  services  I 
could  render  my  country  in  its  arduous  struggle 
with  Great  Britain  for  its  rights,  and  because  I 


AMERICAN  MASON  249 

have  evaded  similar  propositions  from  other  states 
in  the  union;  adding  to  this  refusal,  however,  an 
intimation,  that,  if  it  should  be  the  pleasure  of  the 
legislature  to  permit  me  to  appropriate  the  said 
shares  to  public  uses,  I  would  receive  them  on  these 
terms  with  due  sensibility;  and  this  is  having  con- 
sented to,  in  flattering  terms,  as  will  appear  by  a 
subsequent  law,  and  sundry  resolutions,  in  the  most 
ample  and  honorable  manner.  I  proceed,  after 
this  recital,  for  the  more  correct  understanding  of 
the  case,  to  declare,  That  as  it  has  always  been  a 
source  of  serious  regret  with  me,  to  see  the  youth 
of  these  United  States  sent  to  foreign  countries  for 
the  purposes  of  education,  often  before  their  minds 
were  formed,  or  they  had  imbibed  any  adequate 
ideas  of  the  happiness  of  their  own;  contracting, 
too  frequently,  not  only  habits  of  dissipation  and 
extravagance,  but  principles  unfriendly  to  repub- 
lican government,  and  to  the  true  and  genuine  lib- 
erties of  mankind,  which,  thereafter,  are  rarely 
overcome.  For  these  reasons,  it  has  been  my  ar- 
dent wish  to  see  a  plan  devised,  on  a  liberal  scale, 
which  would  have  a  tendency  to  spread  systematic 
ideas  through  all  parts  of  this  rising  empire,  there- 
by to  do  away  local  attachments  and  state  preju- 
dices, as  far  as  the  nature  of  things  would,  or  in- 
deed ought  to  admit,  from  our  national  councils. 


250         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

Looking  anxiously  forward  to  the  accomplishment 
of  so  desirable  an  object  as  this  is,  in  my  estimation, 
my  mind  has  not  been  able  to  contemplate  any  plan 
more  likely  to  affect  the  measure,  than  the  establish- 
ment of  a  university  in  a  central  part  of  the  United 
States,  to  which  the  youths  of  fortune  and  talents 
from  all  parts  thereof,  might  be  sent  for  the  com- 
pletion of  their  education  in  all  the  branches  of 
polite  literature,  in  the  arts  and  sciences,  in  acquir- 
ing knowledge  in  the  principles  of  politics  and  good 
government;  and,  as  a  matter  of  infinite  importance 
in  my  judgment,  by  associating  with  each  other, 
and  forming  friendships  in  juvenile  years,  be  en- 
abled to  free  themselves  in  a  proper  degree,  from 
those  local  prejudices  and  habitual  jealousies  which 
have  just  been  mentioned,  and  which,  when  carried 
to  excess,  are  never  failing  sources  of  disquietude  to 
the  public  mind,  and  pregnant  of  mischievous  con- 
sequences to  this  country.  Under  these  impres- 
sions so  fully  dilated. 

Item.  I  give  and  bequeath,  in  perpetuity,  the 
fifty  shares  which  I  hold  in  the  Potowmac  company, 
under  the  aforesaid  acts  of  the  legislature  of  Vir- 
ginia, toward  the  endowment  of  a  university  to  be 
established  within  the  limits  of  the  District  of  Co- 
lumbia, under  the  auspices  of  the  general  govern- 
ment, if  that  government  should  incline  to  extend 


AMERICAN  MASON  251 

a  fostering  hand  toward  it;  and  until  such  seminary 
is  established,  and  the  funds  arising  from  these 
funds  shall  be  required  for  its  support,  my  further 
will  and  desire  is,  that  the  profit  accuring  there- 
from, shall,  whenever  the  dividends  are  made,  be 
laid  out  in  purchasing  stock  in  the  bank  of  Colum- 
bia, or  some  other  bank,  at  the  discretion  of  my  exe- 
cutors, or  by  the  treasurer  of  the  United  States  for 
the  time  being,  under  the  direction  of  Congress, 
provided  that  honorable  body  should  patronize  the 
measure;  and  the  dividends  proceeding  from  the 
purchase  of  such  stock  are  to  be  vested  in  more 
stock,  and  so  on,  until  a  sum  adequate  to  the  accom- 
plishment of  the  object  is  attained,  of  which  I  have 
not  the  smallest  doubt  before  many  years  pass 
away,  even  if  no  aid  and  encouragement  is  given  by 
legislative  authority,  or  from  any  other  source. 

Item.  The  hundred  shares  which  I  hold  in  the 
James  River  company,  I  have  given,  and  now  con- 
firm, in  perpetuity,  to  and  for  the  use  and  benefit 
of  Liberty  Hall  Academy,  in  the  county  of  Rock- 
bridge,  in  the  commonwealth  of  Virginia. 

Item.  I  release,  exonerate,  and  discharge,  the 
estate  of  my  deceased  brother,  Samuel  Washington, 
from  the  payment  of  the  money  which  is  due  to  me 
for  the  land  I  sold  to  Philip  Pendleton,  lying  in  the 
county  of  Berkley,  who  assigned  the  same  to  him, 


252         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

the  said  Samuel,  who,  by  agreement,  was  to  pay  me 
therefor;  and 'whereas  by  some  contract,  the  pur- 
port of  which  was  never  communicated  to  me,  be- 
tween the  said  Samuel  and  his  son  Thornton  Wash- 
ington, the  latter  became  possessed  of  the  aforesaid 
land,  without  any  conveyance  having  passed  from 
me,  either  to  the  said  Pendleton,  the  said  Samuel, 
or  the  said  Thornton,  and  without  any  consideration 
having  been  made,  by  which  neglect,  neither  the 
legal  nor  equitable  title  has  been  alienated;  it  rests 
therefore  with  me,  to  declare  my  intentions  con- 
cerning the  premises;  and  these  are,  to  give  and 
bequeath  the  said  land  to  whomsoever  the  said 
Thornton  Washington,  who  is  also  dead,  devised 
the  same,  or  to  his  heirs  forever,  if  he  died  intestate, 
exonerating  the  estate  of  the  said  Thornton,  equally 
with  that  of  the  said  Samuel,  from  payment  of  the 
purchase  money,  which,  with  interest,  agreeably  to 
the  original  contract  with  the  said  Pendleton,  would 
amount  to  more  than  1000/.  And  whereas,  two 
other  sons  of  my  said  deceased  brother  Samuel, 
namely,  George  Steptoe  Washington,  and  Lawrence 
Augustine  Washington,  were,  by  the  decease  of 
those  to  whose  care  they  were  committed,  brought 
under  my  protection,  and,  in  consequence,  have 
occasioned  advances  on  my  part  for  their  education 
at  college  and  other  schools,  and  for  their  board, 


AMERICAN  MASON  253 

clothing,  and  other  incidental  expenses,  to  the 
amount  of  near  five  thousand  dollars,  over  and 
above  the  sums  furnished  by  their  estate;  which 
sum  it  may  be  inconvenient  for  them  or  their 
father's  estate  to  refund.  I  do,  for  these  reasons, 
acquit  them  and  the  said  estate  from  the  payment 
thereof;  my  intention  being,  that  all  accounts  be- 
tween them  and  me,  and  their  father's  estate  and  me 
shall  stand  balanced. 

Item.  The  balance  due  to  me  from  the  estate 
of  Bartholomew  Dandridge,  deceased,  my  wife's 
brother,  and  which  amounted,  on  the  first  day  of 
October,  1795,  to  425/.  as  will  appear  by  an  ac- 
count rendered  by  his  deceased  son,  John  Dan- 
dridge who  was  the  acting  executor  of  his  father's 
will,  I  release  and  acquit  them  from  the  payment 
thereof.  And  the  negroes,  then  thirty  three  in  num- 
ber, formerly  belonging  to  the  said  estate,  who  were 
taken  in  execution,  sold,  and  purchased  in  on  my 
account,  in  the  year ,  and  ever  since  have  re- 
mained in  the  possession  and  to  the  use  of  Mary, 
widow  of  the  said  Bartholomew  Dandridge,  with 
their  increase,  it  is  my  will  and  desire,  shall  con- 
tinue and  be  in  her  possession,  without  paying  hire, 
or  making  compensation  for  the  same,  for  the  time 
past  or  to  come,  during  her  natural  life;  at  the  ex- 
piration of  which,  I  direct,  that  all  of  them  who  are 


254        WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

forty  years  old  and  upward,  shall  receive  their 
freedom;  and  all  under  that  age  and  above  sixteen, 
shall  serve  seven  years  and  no  longer;  and  all  under 
sixteen  years,  shall  serve  until  they  are  twenty  five 
years  of  age,  and  then  be  free.  And  to  avoid  dis- 
putes respecting  the  ages  of  any  of  these  negroes, 
they  are  to  be  taken  into  the  court  of  the  county  in 
which  they  reside,  and  the  judgment  thereof,  in  this 
relation,  shall  be  final,  and  record  thereof  made, 
which  may  be  adduced  as  evidence  at  any  time 
thereafter,  if  disputes  should  arise  concerning  the 
same.  And  I  further  direct,  that  the  heirs  of  said 
Earth.  Dandridge,  shall  equally  share  the  benefits 
arising  from  the  services  of  the  said  negroes, 
according  to  the  tenor  of  this  devise,  upon  the 
decease  of  their  mother. 

Item.  If  Charles  Carter,  who  intermarried  with 
my  niece  Betty  Lewis,  is  not  sufficiently  secured  in 
the  title  to  the  lots  he  had  of  me  in  the  town  of 
Fredericksburg,  it  is  my  will  and  desire,  that  my 
executors  shall  make  such  conveyances  of  them  as 
the  law  requires  to  render  it  perfect. 

Item.  To  my  nephew,  Wm.  Augustine  Wash- 
ington, and  his  heirs,  if  he  should  conceive  them  to 
be  objects  worth  prosecuting,  a  lot  in  the  town  of 
Manchester,  opposite  to  Richmond,  No.  265,  drawn 
on  my  sole  account,  and  also  the  tenth  of  one  or 


AMERICAN  MASON  255 

two  hundred  acre  lots,  and  two  or  three  half  acre 
lots,  in  the  city  and  vicinity  of  Richmond,  drawn  in 
partnership  with  nine  others,  all  in  the  lottery  of 
the  deceased  William  Bird,  are  given;  as  is  also  a 
lot  which  I  purchased  of  John  Hood,  conveyed  by 
William  Willie  and  Samuel  Gordon,  trustees  of 
the  said  John  Hood,  numbered  139,  in  the  town  of 
Edinburgh,  in  the  county  of  Prince  George,  state  of 
Virginia. 

Item.  To  my  nephew,  Bushrod  Washington,  I 
give  and  bequeath  all  the  papers  in  my  possession 
which  relate  to  my  civil  and  military  administration 
of  the  affairs  of  this  country;  I  leave  to  him  also 
such  of  my  private  papers  as  are  worth  preserving; 
and,  at  the  decease  of  my  wife,  and  before,  if  she 
is  not  inclined  to  retain  them,  I  give  and  bequeath 
my  library  of  books  and  pamphlets  of  every  kind. 

Item.  Having  sold  lands  which  I  possessed  in 
the  state  of  Pennsylvania,  and  part  of  a  tract  held 
in  equal  right  with  George  Clinton,  late  governor 
of  New  York;  my  share  of  land  and  interest  in  the 
Great  Dismal  Swamp,  and  a  tract  of  land  which  I 
owned  in  the  county  of  Gloucester;  withholding  the 
legal  titles  thereto,  until  the  consideration  money 
should  be  paid;  and  having  moreover  leased,  and 
conditionally  sold,  as  will  appear  by  the  tenor  of 
the  said  lease,  all  my  lands  upon  the  Great  Ken- 


256         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

hawa,  and  a  tract  upon  Difficult  Run,  in  the  county 
of  Loudon,  it  is  my  will  and  direction,  that  when- 
soever the  contracts  are  fully  and  respectively  com- 
plied with,  according  to  the  spirit,  true  intent,  and 
meaning  thereof,  on  the  part  of  the  purchasers, 
their  heirs  or  assigns,  that  then,  and  in  that  case, 
conveyances  are  to  be  made,  agreeable  to  the  terms 
of  said  contracts,  and  the  money  arising  therefrom, 
when  paid,  to  be  vested  in  bank  stock;  the  dividends 
whereof,  as  of  that  also,  which  is  already  vested 
therein,  is  to  inure  to  my  said  wife  during  her  life; 
but  the  stock  itself  is  to  remain  and  be  subject  to 
the  general  distribution  hereafter  directed. 

Item.  To  the  Earl  of  Buchan,  I  recommit  "the 
box  made  of  the  oak  that  sheltered  the  brave  Sir 
William  Wallace  after  the  battle  of  Falkirk,"  pre- 
sented to  me  by  his  lordship  in  terms  too  flattering 
for  me  to  repeat,  with  a  request  "to  pass  it,  on  the 
event  of  my  decease,  to  the  man  in  my  country  who 
should  appear  to  merit  it  best,  upon  the  same  con- 
ditions that  have  induced  him  to  send  it  to  me." 
Whether  easy  or  not,  to  select  THE  MAN  who  might 
comport  with  his  lordship's  opinion  in  this  respect, 
is  not  for  me  to  say;  but  conceiving  that  no  dis- 
position of  this  valuable  curiosity  can  be  more 
eligible  than  the  recommitment  of  it  to  his  own 
cabinet,  agreeably  to  the  original  design  of  the 


AMERICAN  MASON  257 

Goldsmith's  company  of  Edinburg,  who  presented 
it  to  him,  and,  at  his  request,  consented  that  it 
should  be  transferred  to  me.  I  do  give  and  be- 
queath the  same  to  his  lordship;  and,  in  case  of  his 
decease,  to  his  heir,  with  my  grateful  thanks  for  the 
distinguished  honour  of  presenting  it  to  me,  and 
more  especially  for  the  favourable  sentiments  with 
which  he  accompanied  it. 

Item.  To  my  brother,  Charles  Washington,  I 
give  and  bequeath  the  gold  headed  cane  left  me  by 
Dr.  Franklin,  in  his  will.  I  add  nothing  to  it,  be- 
cause of  the  ample  provision  I  have  made  for  his 
issue.  To  the  acquaintances  and  friends  of  my 
juvenile  years,  Lawrence  Washington,  and  Robert 
Washington,  of  Chotanct,  I  give  my  other  two  gold 
headed  canes,  having  my  arms  engraved  on  them; 
and  to  each,  as  they  will  be  useful  where  they  live, 
I  leave  one  of  the  spyglasses,  which  constituted 
part  of  my  equipage  during  the  late  war.  To  my 
compatriot  in  arms,  and  old  and  intimate  friend, 
Dr.  Craik,  I  give  my  bureau,  or,  as  the  cabinet- 
makers call  it,  tambour  secretary,  and  the  circular 
chair  an  appendage  of  my  study.  To  Dr.  David 
Stewart,  I  give  my  large  shaving  and  dressing  table, 
and  my  telescope.  To  the  Rev.  now  Bryan  Lord 
Fairfax,  I  give  a  Bible,  in  three  large  folio  volumes, 
with  notes,  presented  to  me  by  the  Rt.  Rev.  Thomas 


258         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

Wilson,  bishop  of  Sodor  and  Man.  To  Gen.  De  la 
Fayette,  I  give  a  pair  of  finely  wrought  steel  pistols, 
taken  from  the  enemy  in  the  revolutionary  war. 
To  my  sisters  in  law,  Hannah  Washington  and  Mil- 
dred Washington;  to  my  friends,  Eleanor  Stuart, 
Hannah  Washington,  of  Fairfield,  and  Elizabeth 
Washington,  of  Hayfield,  I  give  each  a  mourning 
ring  of  the  value  of  one  hundred  dollars.  These 
bequests  are  not  made  for  the  intrinsic  value  of 
them,  but  as  mementos  of  my  esteem  and  regard. 
To  Tobias  Lear,  I  give  the  use  of  the  farm  which  he 
now  holds,  in  virtue  of  a  lease  from  me  to  him  and 
his  deceased  wife,  for  and  during  their  natural 
lives,  free  from  rent  during  his  life;  at  the  expira- 
tion of  which,  it  is  to  be  disposed  of  as  in  herein- 
after directed.  To  Sally  B.  Haynie,  a  distant  rela- 
tion of  mine,  I  give  and  bequeath  three  hundred 
dollars.  To  Sarah  Green,  daughter  of  the  deceased 
Thomas  Bishop,  and  to  Ann  Walker,  daughter  of 
John  Alton,  also  deceased,  I  give  each  one  hundred 
dollars,  in  consideration  of  the  attachment  of  their 
fathers  to  me,  each  of  whom  having  lived  nearly 
forty  years  in  my  family.  To  each  of  my  nephews, 
William  Augustine  Washington,  George  Lewis, 
George  Steptoe  Washington,  Bushrod  Washington, 
and  Samuel  Washington,  I  give  one  of  the  swords, 
or  cutteaux,  of  which  I  may  die  possessed ;  and  they 


AMERICAN  MASON  259 

are  to  choose  in  the  order  they  are  named.  These 
swords  are  accompanied  with  an  injunction,  not  to 
unsheath  them  for  the  purpose  of  shedding  blood, 
except  it  be  for  self  defence  or  in  defence  of  their 
country  and  its  rights;  and,  in  the  latter  case,  to 
keep  them  unsheathed,  and  prefer  falling  with  them 
in  their  hands,  to  the  relinquishment  thereof. 

And  now,  having  gone  through  these  specific 
devises,  with  explanations  for  the  more  correct 
understanding  of  the  meaning  and  design  of  them, 
I  proceed  to  the  distribution  of  the  more  important 
parts  of  my  estate,  in  manner  following. 

First.  To  my  nephew,  Buskrod  Washington, 
and  his  heirs,  partly  in  consideration  of  an  intima- 
tion to  his  deceased  father,  while  we  were  bachelors, 
and  he  had  kindly  undertaken  to  superintend  my 
estate  during  my  military  services  in  the  former 
war  between  Great  Britain  and  France,  that  if  I 
should  fall  therein,  Mount  Vernon,  then  less  ex- 
tensive in  domain  than  at  present,  should  become 
his  property,  I  give  and  bequeath  all  that  part 
thereof  which  is  comprehended  within  the  following 
limits,  viz.  Beginning  at  the  ford  of  Dogue  run, 
near  my  mill,  and  extending  along  the  road,  and 
bounded  thereby,  as  it  now  goes,  and  ever  has 
gone,  since  my  recollection  of  it,  to  the  ford  of 
Little  Hunting  creek,  at  the  Gum  Spring,  until  it 


260         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

comes  to  a  knowl  opposite  to  an  old  road  which 
formerly  passed  through  the  lower  field  of  Muddy- 
hole  farm,  at  which,  on  the  north  side  of  the  said 
road,  are  three  red  or  Spanish  oaks,  marked  as  a 
corner,  and  a  stone  placed;  thence  by  a  line  of 
trees  to  be  marked  rectangular,  to  the  back  line  or 
outer  boundary  of  the  tract  between  Thomas  Mason 
and  myself;  thence  with  that  line  easterly,  now 
double  ditching,  with  a  post  and  rail  fence  thereon, 
to  the  run  of  Little  Hunting  creek ;  thence  with  that 
run,  which  is  the  boundary  between  the  lands  of  the 
late  H.  Peake  and  met  to  the  tide  water  of  the  said 
creek;  thence  by  that  water  to  Potomac  river; 
thence  with  the  river  to  the  mouth  of  Dogue  creek, 
and  thence  with  the  said  Dogue  creek  to  the  place 
of  beginning  at  the  aforesaid  ford;  containing  up- 
ward of  four  thousand  acres,  be  the  same  more  or 
less,  together  with  the  mansion  house  and  all  other 
buildings  and  improvements  thereon. 

Second.  In  consideration  of  the  consanguinity 
between  them  and  my  wife,  being  as  nearly  related 
to  her  as  to  myself,  as  on  account  of  the  affection 
I  had  for,  and  the  obligation  I  was  under  to,  their 
father,  when  living,  who  from  his  youth,  had  at- 
tached himself  to  my  person,  and  followed  my 
fortunes  through  the  vicissitudes  of  the  late  revolu- 
tion, afterward  devoting  his  time  to  the  superin- 


AMERICAN  MASON  261 

tendance  of  my  private  concerns  for  many  years, 
whilst  my  public  employments  rendered  it  imprac- 
ticable for  me  to  do  it  myself,  thereby  affording 
me  essential  services,  and  always  performing  them 
in  a  manner  the  most  filial  and  respectful.  For 
these  reasons,  I  say,  I  give  and  bequeath  to  George 
Fayette  Washington,  and  Lawrence  Augustine 
Washington,  and  their  heirs,  my  estate  east  of 
Little  Hunting  Creek,  lying  on  the  river  Potomac, 
including  the  farm  of  three  hundred  and  sixty 
acres,  leased  to  Tobias  Lear,  as  noticed  before,  and 
containing  in  the  whole,  by  deed,  two  thousand 
and  thirty-seven  acres,  be  it  more  or  less;  which 
said  estate  it  is  my  will  and  desire  should  be  equi- 
tably and  advantageously  divided  between  them, 
according  to  quantity,  quality  and  other  circum- 
stances, when  the  youngest  shall  have  arrived  at 
the  age  of  twenty  one  years,  by  three  judicious  and 
disinterested  men ;  one  to  be  chosen  by  each  of  the 
brothers,  and  the  third  by  these  two.  In  the  mean 
time,  if  the  termination  of  my  wife's  interest  therein 
should  have  ceased,  the  profits  arising  therefrom 
are  to  be  applied  for  their  joint  uses  and  benefit. 

Third.  And  whereas,  it  has  always  been  my  in- 
tention, since  my  expectation  of  having  issue  has 
ceased,  to  consider  the  grand  children  of  my  wife, 
in  the  same  light  as  I  do  my  own  relations,  and  to 


262         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

act  a  friendly  part  by  them,  more  especially  by 
the  two  whom  we  have  raised  from  their  earliest 
infancy ;  namely,  Eleanor  Park  Custis,  and  George 
Washington  Park  Custis;  and  whereas,  the  former 
of  these  hath  lately  intermarried  with  Lawrence 
Lewis,  a  son  of  my  deceased  sister,  Betty  Lewis, 
by  which  union  the  inducement  to  provide  for  them 
both  has  been  increased;  wherefore  I  give  and  be- 
queath to  the  said  Lawrence  Lewis,  and  Eleanor 
Park  Lewis,  his  wife,  and  their  heirs,  the  residue 
of  my  Mount  Vernon  estate,  not  already  devised  to 
my  nephew,  Bushrod  Washington,  comprehended 
within  the  following  description,  viz.  All  the  land 
north  of  the  road  leading  from  the  ford  of  Dogue 
run  to  the  Gum  Spring,  as  described  in  the  devise 
of  the  other  part  of  the  tract  to  Bushrod  Washing- 
ton, until  it  comes  to  the  stone,  and  three  red,  or 
Spanish  oaks  on  the  knowl;  thence  with  the  rect- 
angular line  to  the  back  line,  between  Mr.  Mason 
and  me;  thence  with  that  line  westerly  along  the 
new  double  ditch  to  Dogue  run,  by  the  tumbling 
dam  of  my  mill;  thence  with  the  said  run  to  the 
ford  aforementioned ;  to  which  I  add  all  the  land  I 
possess  west  of  the  said  Dogue  run  and  Dogue 
creek,  bounded  easterly  and  southerly  thereby;  to- 
gether with  the  mill,  distillery,  and  all  other  houses 
and  improvements  on  the  premises;  making  to- 


AMERICAN  MASON  263 

gether  about  two  thousand  acres,  be  it  more  or  less. 

Fourth.  Actuated  by  the  principles  already 
mentioned,  I  give  and  bequeath  to  George  Wash- 
ington Park  Custis,  the  grandson  of  my  wife,  and 
my  ward,  and  to  his  heirs,  the  tract  I  hold  on  Four 
Mile  Run,  in  the  vicinity  of  Alexandria,  containing 
one  thousand  two  hundred  acres,  more  or  less,  and 
my  entire  square,  No.  21,  in  the  city  of  Wash- 
ington. 

Fifth.  All  the  rest  and  residue  of  my  estate, 
real  and  personal,  not  disposed  of  in  manner  afore- 
said, in  whatsoever  consisting,  wheresoever  lying, 
and  wheresoever  found,  a  schedule  of  which,  as  far 
as  is  recollected,  with  a  reasonable  estimate  of  its 
value,  is  hereunto  annexed,  I  desire  may  be  sold 
by  my  executors,  at  such  times,  in  such  manner, 
and  on  such  credits,  if  an  equal,  valid,  and  satis- 
factory distribution  of  the  specific  property  cannot 
be  made  without,  as  in  their  judgment  shall  be  most 
conducive  to  the  interest  of  the  parties  concerned, 
and  the  monies  arising  therefrom  to  be  divided 
into  twenty-three  equal  parts,  and  applied  as  fol- 
lows, viz.  To  William  Augustine  Washington,  Eliza- 
beth Spotswood,  Jane  Thornton,  and  the  heirs  of 
Ann  Ashton,  son  and  daughter  of  my  deceased 
brother  Augustine  Washington,  I  give  and  bequeath 
four  parts,  that  is,  one  part  to  each  of  them;  to 


264         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

Fielding  Lewis,  George  Lewis,  Robert  Lewis, 
Howell  Lewis,  and  Betty  Carter,  sons  and  daughter 
of  my  deceased  sister  Betty  Lewis,  I  give  and  be- 
queath five  other  parts,  one  to  each  of  them;  to 
George  Steptoe  Washington,  Lawrence  A.  Washing- 
ton, Harriet  Parks,  and  the  heirs  of  Thornton  Wash- 
ington, sons  and  daughter  of  my  deceased  brother 
Samuel  Washington,  I  give  and  bequeath  the  other 
four  parts,  one  part  to  each  of  them;  to  Corbin 
Washington,  and  the  heirs  of  Jane  Washington,  son 
and  daughter  of  my  deceased  brother  John  A. 
Washington,  I  give  and  bequeath  two  parts,  one  part 
to  each  of  them;  to  Samuel  Washington,  Frances 
Ball,  and  Mildred  Hammond,  son  and  daughters 
of  my  brother  Charles  Washington,  I  give  and  be- 
queath three  parts,  one  part  to  each  of  them ;  and  to 
George  F.  Washington,  Charles  Aug.  Washington, 
and  Maria  Washington,  sons  and  daughter  of  my 
deceased  nephew,  George  A.  Washington,  I  give 
one  other  part,  that  is,  to  each  a  third  of  that  part; 
to  Eliz.  Park  Law,  Martha  Park  Peter,  and  Eleanor 
Park  Lewis,  I  give  and  bequeath  three  other  parts, 
that  is,  a  part  to  each  of  them;  and  to  my  nephews, 
Bushrod  Washington,  and  Law.  Lewis,  and  to  my 
ward,  the  grandson  of  my  wife,  I  give  and  bequeath 
one  other  part,  that  is,  a  third  thereof  to  each  of 
them.  And  if  it  should  so  happen,  that  any  of  the 


AMERICAN  MASON  265 

persons  whose  names  are  here  enumerated,  un- 
known to  me,  should  now  be  dead,  or  should  die 
before  me,  that  in  either  of  these  cases,  the  heirs  of 
such    deceased    persons    shall,    notwithstanding, 
derive  all  the  benefits  of  the  bequest,  in  the  same 
manner  as  if  he  or  she  was  actually  living  at  the 
time.    And  by  way  of  advice,  I  recommend  to  my 
executors  not  to  be  precipitate  in  disposing  of  the 
landed  property,  therein  directed  to  be  sold,  if  from 
temporary  causes  the  sale  thereof  should  be  dull; 
experience  having  fully  evinced,  that  the  price  of 
land,  especially  above  the  falls  of  the  rivers  and 
on  the  western  waters,  has  been  progressively  rising, 
and  cannot  be  long  checked  in  its  increasing  value. 
And  I  particularly  recommend  it  to  such  of  the 
legatees,  under  this  clause  of  my  will,  as  can  make 
it  convenient,  to  take  each  a  share  of  my  stock  in 
the    Potowmac    company,    in    preference    to    the 
amount  of  what  it  might  sell  for;  being  thoroughly 
convinced  myself,  that  no  uses  to  which  the  money 
can  be  applied,  will  be  so  productive  as  the  tolls 
arising  from  this  navigation  when  in  full  operation, 
and  this  from  the  nature  of  things,  it  must  be  ere 
long,  and  more  especially  if  that  of  the  Shenandoah 
is  added  thereto. 

The  family  vault  at  Mount  Vernon  requiring  re- 
pairs, and  being  improperly  situated  beside,  I  de- 


266         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

sire  that  a  new  one  of  brick,  and  upon  a  large  scale, 
may  be  built  at  the  foot  of  what  is  commonly  called 
the  Vineyard  enclosure,  on  the  ground  which  is 
marked  out;  in  which  my  remains,  with  those  of  my 
deceased  relations,  now  in  the  old  vault,  and  such 
others  of  my  family  as  may  choose  to  be  entombed 
there,  may  be  deposited.  And  it  is  my  express 
desire,  that  my  corpse  may  be  interred  in  a  private 
manner,  without  parade  or  funeral  oration. 

Lastly.  I  constitute  and  appoint  my  dearly  be- 
loved wife,  Martha  Washington,  my  nephews  Wil- 
liam Augustine  Washington,  Bushrod  Washington, 
George  Steptoe  Washington,  Samuel  Washington, 
and  Lawrence  Lewis,  and  my  ward  George  Wash- 
ington Park  Custis,  when  he  shall  have  arrived  at 
the  age  of  twenty  years,  executrix  and  executors  of 
this  my  WILL  AND  TESTAMENT;  in  the  construction 
of  which,  it  will  readily  be  perceived,  that  no  pro- 
fessional character  has  been  consulted,  or  has  had 
any  agency  in  the  draught;  and,  that  although  it 
has  occupied  many  of  my  leisure  hours  to  digest, 
and  to  throw  it  into  its  present  form,  it  may,  not- 
withstanding, appear  crude  and  incorrect;  but  hav- 
ing endeavoured  to  be  plain  and  explicit  in  all  the 
devises,  even  at  the  expence  of  prolixity,  perhaps 
of  tautology,  I  hope  and  trust,  that  no  disputes  will 
arise  concerning  them;  but  if,  contrary  to  expecta- 


AMERICAN  MASON  267 

tion,  the  case  should  be  otherwise  from  the  want 
of  legal  expression,  or  the  usual  technical  terms,  or 
because  too  much  or  too  little  has  been  said  on  any 
of  the  devises  to  be  consonant  with  law,  my  will 
and  direction  expressly  is,  that  all  disputes,  if  un- 
happily any  should  arise,  shall  be  decided  by  three 
impartial  and  intelligent  men,  known  for  their 
probity  and  good  understanding;  two  to  be  chosen 
by  the  disputants,  each  having  the  choice  of  one, 
and  the  third  by  those  two;  which  three  men  thus 
chosen  shall,  unfettered  by  law  or  legal  construc- 
tions, declare  the  sense  of  the  testator's  intentions; 
and  such  decision  is,  to  all  intents  and  purposes, 
to  be  as  binding  on  the  parties  as  if  it  had  been 
given  in  the  supreme  court  of  the  United  States. 

In  witness  of  all  and  each  of  the  things  herein  con- 
tained, I  have  set  my  hand  and  seal,  this  ninth 
day  of  July,  in  the  year  one  thousand  seven  hun- 
dred and  ninety,*  and  of  the  independence  of  the 
United  States  the  twenty  fourth. 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON. 

*It  appeart  the  ttttator  omitted  tht  word  nine. 


268         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 


SCHEDULE 

Of  property  comprehended  in  the  foregoing  WILL,  di- 
rected to  be  sold,  and  some  of  it  conditionally  is  sold: 
with  descriptive  and  explanatory  notes  thereto. 


IN  VIRGINIA. 


Acres. 
300 


Price. 


Loudon  co.  Difficult  Run, 

Loudon  and  Faquier, 
Ashby's  Bent,  2,481 

Chatten's  Run  885 

Berkley,   S.   fork   of   Bou- 

liskin,  1,600 

Head  of  Evan's  m.  453 

In  Wormly's  line,  183 


IQd  24,810} 
8      7,080J 


15 


2,236    20 
Frederick,     bought     from 

Mercer,  571     20 

Hampshire,    on   Potowmac 

river,  above  B.  240 

Gloucester,  on  North  river,    400 
Nansemond,   near   Suffolk, 

one  third  of  1,119  acres,  373 
Great  Dismal   Swamp,  my 

dividend  thereof, 

Ohio  River,  Round  Bottom,    587 

Little  Kenhawa,  2,314 

Sixteen  miles  lower  down,  2,448 

Opposite  Big  Bent  4,395 


about 


about 


Dollars. 
9,744    10 


Dollars. 
6,666a 


44,720c 


3,600e 
3,600/ 

2,984g 
20,OOOA 


97,440  i 


AMERICAN  MASON 


269 


GREAT  KENHAWA. 


Near  the  north  west, 
East  side  above, 
Mouth  of  Cole  river, 
Opposite  thereto     2,950) 
Burning  Spring         125  } 


10,180 
7,276 
2,000 


MARYLAND. 


Charles  county, 
Montgomery,  ditto, 


600      6d. 
519     12 


PENNSYLVANIA. 
Great  Meadows,  234      6 


Mowhak  river 


NEW  YORK. 
about  1,000      6 


NORTH  WEST  TERRITORY. 


On  Little  Miami, 
Ditto, 
Ditto, 


Rough  creek, 
Ditto  adjoining, 


239 

977 

1,235 

3,251      5 

KENTUCKY. 

3,000 
2,000 

5,000      2 


207,000* 


3,600  / 
6,228/n 


l,404/i 
6,000o 


16,251/> 


10,000? 


270        WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

LOTS,  VIZ. 

CITY  OF  WASHINGTON. 

Two  near  the  capital,  square  634,  cost  963  dol- 
lars, and  with  buildings,  15,000r 

Nos.  5,  12,  13,  and  14,  the  three  last  water  lots 
on  the  Eastern  Branch,  in  square  667,  con- 
taining together  34,438  square  feet,  at 
twelve  cents,  4,132s 

ALEXANDRIA. 

Corner  of  Pitt  and  Prince  streets,  half  an  acre 
laid  out  into  buildings,  three  or  four  of 
which  are  let  on  ground  rent  at  three  dol- 
lars per  foot,  4,000* 

WINCHESTER. 

A  lot  in  the  town,  of  half  an  acre,  and  another 

in  commons,  of  about  six  acres,  supposed          400u 

BATH  OR  WARM  SPRINGS. 

Two  well  situated,  and  had  buildings  to  the 

amount  of  ISO/.  800v 

STOCK. 

UNITED  STATES. 

Six  per  cent.  3,746 

Ditto  deferred,  1,874)  9  em 

Three  per  cent.  2,946}  ^'Dt 

6,246t<; 

POTOWMAC  COMPANY. 

Twenty  four  shares,  cost  100/.  sterling,  10,666* 


AMERICAN  MASON  271 

JAMES  RIVER  COMPANY. 
Five  shares,  each  cost  100  dollars,  500y 

BANK  OF  COLUMBIA. 

One  hundred  and  seventy  shares,  cost  $40  each     6,800z 

BANK  OF  ALEXANDRIA. 

1,000 
Beside  twenty  shares  to  the  free  school — 5. 

STOCK  LIVING,  VIZ. 

One  covering  horse,  five  carriage  horses,  four 
riding  ditto,  six  brood  mares,  twenty  work- 
ing horses  and  mares,  two  covering  jacks, 
and  three  young  ones;  ten  she  asses,  forty- 
two  working  mules,  fifteen  younger  ones, 
three  hundred  and  twenty  nine  head  of 
horned  cattle,  six  hundred  and  forty  head 
of  sheep,  and  a  large  stock  of  hogs,  the 
precise  number  unknown.  ^P*1  My  man- 
ager has  estimated  this  live  stock  at  7,000/. 
but  I  shall  set  it  down,  in  order  to  make  a 
round  sum,  at  15,658 


NOTES. 

a.  This  tract  for  the  size  of  it,  is  valuable,  more 
for  its  situation  than  the  quality  of  its  soil,  though 
that  is  good  for  farming;  with  a  considerable  pro- 
portion of  ground  that  might  very  easily  be  im- 


272         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

proved  into  meadow.  It  lies  on  the  great  road 
from  the  city  of  Washington,  Alexandria,  and 
George  Town,  to  Leesburgh  and  Winchester,  at 
Difficult  Bridge,  nineteen  miles  from  Alexandria, 
less  from  the  city  and  George  Town,  and  not  more 
than  three  from  Matildaville,  at  the  great  falls  of 
Potowmac.  There  is  a  valuable  seat  on  the  prem- 
ises, and  the  whole  is  conditionally  sold  for  the 
sum  annexed  in  the  schedule. 

b.  What  the  selling  prices  of  lands  in  the  vicinity 
of  these  two  tracts  are,  I  know  not;  but  compared 
with  those  above  the  ridge,  and  others  below  it,  the 
value  annexed  will  appear  moderate;  a  less  one 
would  not  obtain  them  from  me. 

c.  The  surrounding  land  not  superior  in  soil, 
situation,  or  properties  of  any  sort,  sells  currently 
at  from  twenty  to  thirty  dollars  an  acre.    The  low- 
est price  is  affixed  to  these. 

d.  The  observations  made  in  the  last  note,  apply 
equally  to  this  tract,  being  in  the  vicinity  of  them, 
and  of  similar  quality,  although  it  lies  in  another 
county. 

e.  This  tract,  though  small,  is  extremely  valu- 
able.   It  lies  on  Potowmac  river,  about  twelve  miles 
above  the  town  of  Bath,  or  Warm  Springs,  and  is 
in  the  shape  of  a  horse  shoe,  the  river  running 
almost  around  it.    Two  hundred  acres  of  it  are  rich 


AMERICAN  MASON  273 

low  grounds,  with  a  great  abundance  of  the  largest 
and  finest  walnut  trees,  which,  with  the  produce  of 
the  soil,  might,  by  means  of  the  improved  naviga- 
tion of  the  Potowmac,  be  brought  to  a  shipping 
port  with  more  ease,  and  at  a  smaller  expense,  than 
that  which  is  transported  thirty  miles  only  by  land. 

/.  This  tract  is  of  second  rate  Gloucester  low 
grounds.  It  has  no  improvements  thereon,  but  lies 
on  navigable  water,  abounding  in  fish  and  oysters. 
It  was  received  in  payment  of  a  debt,  carrying 
interest,  and  valued  in  the  year  1789,  by  an  impar- 
tial gentleman,  at  8001. 

N.  B.  It  has  lately  been  sold,  and  there  is  due 
thereon,  a  balance  equal  to  what  is  annexed  in  the 
schedule. 

g.  These  three  hundred  and  seventy  three  acres 
are  the  third  part  of  undivided  purchases  made  by 
the  deceased  Fielding  Lewis,  Thos.  Walker,  and 
myself,  on  full  conviction  that  they  would  become 
valuable.  The  land  lies  on  the  road  from  Suffolk 
to  Norfolk,  touches,  if  I  am  not  mistaken,  some  part 
of  the  navigable  water  of  Nansemond  river.  The 
rich  Dismal  Swamp  is  capable  of  great  improve- 
ment; and,  from  its  situation,  must  become  ex- 
tremely valuable. 

h.  This  is  an  undivided  interest  which  I  held  in 
the  great  Dismal  Swamp  Company,  containing 


274         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

about  four  thousand  acres,  with  my  part  of  the 
plantation  and  stock  thereon,  belonging  to  the  com- 
pany in  the  said  swamp. 

i.  These  several  tracts  of  land  are  of  the  first 
quality  on  the  Ohio  river,  in  the  parts  where  they 
are  situated,  being  almost,  if  not  altogether,  river 
bottoms.  The  smallest  of  these  tracts  is  actually 
sold  at  ten  dollars  an  acre,  but  the  consideration 
therefor  not  received.  The  rest  are  equally  valu- 
able, and  will  sell  as  high,  especially  that  which 
lies  just  below  the  Little  Kenhawa ;  and  is  opposite 
to  a  thick  settlement  on  the  west  side  of  the  river. 
The  four  tracts  have  an  aggregate  breadth  upon  the 
river  of  sixteen  miles,  and  are  bounded  there  by 
that  distance. 

k.  These  tracts  are  situated  upon  the  great  Ken- 
hawa river,  and  the  first  four  are  bounded  thereby 
for  more  than  forty  miles.  It  is  acknowledged  by 
all  who  have  seen  them,  and  of  the  tract  containing 
ten  thousand  nine  hundred  and  ninety  acres,  which 
I  have  been  on  myself,  I  can  assert,  that  there  is  no 
richer  or  more  valuable  land  in  all  that  region. 
They  are  conditionally  sold  for  the  sum  mentioned 
in  the  schedule,  that  is,  two  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars, and  if  the  terms  of  that  sale  are  not  complied 
with,  they  will  command  considerable  more.  The 
tract,  of  which  the  one  hundred  and  twenty  five 


AMERICAN  MASON  275 

acres  is  a  moiety,  was  taken  up  by  General  Andrew 
Lewis  and  myself,  for,  and  on  account  of  a  bitu- 
minous spring  which  it  contains,  of  so  inflammable 
a  nature  as  to  burn  as  freely  as  spirits,  and  is  nearly 
as  difficult  to  extinguish. 

/.  I  am  but  little  acquainted  with  this  land,  al- 
though I  have  once  been  on  it.  It  was  received, 
many  years  since,  in  discharge  of  a  debt  due  to  me 
from  Daniel  Jenifer  Adams,  at  the  value  annexed 
thereto,  and  must  be  worth  more.  It  is  very  level; 
lies  near  the  river  Potowmac. 

77i.  This  tract  lies  about  thirty  miles  above  the 
city  of  Washington,  not  far  from  Kitoctan.  It  is 
good  farming  land,  and  by  those  who  are  well  ac- 
quainted with  it,  I  am  informed  that  it  would  sell 
at  twelve  or  fifteen  dollars  per  acre. 

n.  This  island  is  valuable  on  account  of  its  local 
situation  and  other  properties.  It  affords  an  ex- 
ceeding good  stand  on  Braddock's  road  from  Fort 
Cumberland  to  Pittsburgh;  and,  beside  a  fertile 
soil,  possesses  a  large  quantity  of  natural  meadow, 
fit  for  the  sithe.  It  is  distinguished  by  the  appella- 
tion of  the  Great  Meadows,  where  the  first  action 
with  the  French,  in  the  year  1754,  was  fought. 

o.  This  is  the  moiety  of  about  two  thousand  acres 
which  remains  unsold,  of  six  thousand  seventy  one 
acres  on  the  Mohawk  river,  Montgomery  county,  in 


276         WASHINGTON,  THE  GREAT 

a  patent  granted  to  Daniel  Coxe,  in  the  township 
of  Coxborough  and  Carolina,  as  will  appear  by 
deed,  from  Marinus  Willet  and  wife,  to  George 
Clinton,  late  governor  of  New  York,  and  myself. 
The  latter  sales  have  been  at  six  dollars  an  acre, 
and  what  remains  unsold  will  fetch  that  or  more. 

p.  The  quality  of  these  lands  and  their  situation, 
may  be  known  by  the  surveyor's  certificates,  which 
are  filed  along  with  the  patents.  They  lie  in  the 
vicinity  of  Cincinnati;  one  tract  near  the  mouth  of 
the  Little  Miami;  another  seven,  and  the  third  ten 
miles  up  the  same.  I  have  been  informed  that  they 
will  readily  command  more  than  they  are  estimated 
at. 

q.  For  the  description  of  those  tracts  in  detail, 
see  Gen.  Spotswood's  letters,  filed  with  the  other 
papers  relating  to  them.  Beside  the  general  good 
quality  of  the  land,  there  is  a  valuable  bank  of 
iron  ore  thereon,  which,  when  the  settlement  be- 
comes more  populous,  and  settlers  are  moving  that 
way  very  fast,  will  be  found  very  valuable,  as  the 
Rough  creek,  a  branch  of  Green  river,  affords 
ample  water  for  furnaces  and  forges. 


AMERICAN  MASON  277 

LOTS,   VIZ. 

CITY  OF  WASHINGTON. 

r.  The  two  lots  near  the  capitol,  in  square  634, 
cost  me  nine  hundred  and  sixty  three  dollars  only; 
but  in  this  price  I  was  favoured,  on  condition  that 
I  should  build  two  brick  houses  three  stories  high 
each;  without  this  reduction  the  selling  prices  of 
these  lots  would  have  cost  me  about  one  thousand 
three  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  These  lots,  with 
the  buildings  on  them,  when  completed  will  stand 
me  in  fifteen  thousand  dollars  at  least. 

5.  Lots  Nos>  5,  12,  13,  and  14,  on  the  Eastern 
Branch,  are  advantageously  situated  on  the  water; 
and  although  many  lots  much  less  convenient  have 
sold  a  great  deal  higher,  I  will  rate  these  at  twelve 
cents  the  square  foot  only. 

ALEXANDRIA. 

t.  For  this  lot,  though  unimproved,  I  have  re- 
fused three  thousand  five  hundred  dollars.  It  has 
since  been  laid  off  into  proper  sized  lots  for  build- 
ing on,  three  or  four  of  which  are  let  on  ground 
rent  for  ever,  at  three  dollars  a  foot  on  the  street; 
and  this  price  is  asked  for  both  fronts  on  Pitt  and 
Prince  streets. 


WINCHESTER. 

u.  As  neither  the  lot  in  the  town  or  common  have 
any  improvements  on  them,  it  is  not  easy  to  fix  a 
price;  but  as  both  are  well  situated,  it  is  presumed 
the  price  annexed  to  them  in  the  schedule  is  a 
reasonable  valuation. 

BATH. 

v.  The  lots  in  Bath,  two  adjoining,  cost  me  to 
the  best  of  my  recollection  between  fifty  and  sixty 
pounds,  twenty  years  ago ;  and  the  buildings  thereon 
1501.  more.  Whether  property  there  has  increased 
or  decreased  in  its  value,  and  in  what  condition  the 
houses  are,  I  am  ignorant;  but  suppose  they  are  not 
valued  too  high. 

STOCK. 

w.  These  are  the  sums  which  are  actually 
funded,  and  though  no  more  in  the  aggregate  than 
seven  thousand  five  hundred  and  sixty  six  dollars, 
stand  me  in  at  least  ten  thousand  pounds,  Virginia 
money;  being  the  amount  of  bonded  and  other  debts 
due  to  me,  and  discharged  during  the  war,  when 
money  had  depreciated  in  that  rate;  B^3  and  was 
so  settled  by  public  authority. 


AMERICAN  MASON  279 

x.  The  value  annexed  to  these  shares  is  what  they 
actually  cost  me,  and  is  the  price  affixed  by  law; 
and  although  the  present  selling  price  is  under  par, 
my  advice  to  the  legatees,  for  whose  benefit  they 
are  intended,  especially  those  who  can  afford  to  lie 
out  of  the  money,  is,  that  each  take  and  should  hold 
one;  there  being  a  moral  certainty  of  a  great  and 
increasing  profit  arising  from  them  in  the  course  of 
a  few  years. 

y.  It  is  supposed  that  the  shares  in  the  James 
River  Company  must  also  be  productive;  but  of 
this  I  can  give  no  decided  opinion,  for  want  of  more 
accurate  information. 

z.  These  are  the  nominal  prices  of  the  shares  in 
the  banks  of  Alexandria  and  Columbia ;  the  selling 
prices  vary  according  to  circumstances;  but  as  the 
stock  usually  divides  from  eight  to  ten  per  cent,  per 
annum,  they  must  be  worth  the  former,  at  least,  so 
long  as  the  banks  are  conceived  to  be  secure,  al- 
though circumstances  may  sometimes  make  them 
below  it. 

The  value  of  the  live  stock  depends  more  upon 
the  quality  than  quantity  of  the  different  species  of 
it;  and  this  again  upon  the  demand  and  judgment, 
or  fancy  of  purchasers. 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON. 
Mount  Vernon,  July  9,  1799. 


INDEX  * 


Abolitionists,  first  colony  of, 

183. 

Adamses,  The,  63. 
Addison,  Rev.,  55. 
Age,  Mature,  19,  20,  22. 
Ahimon  Rezon,  21. 
Alexandria,     45,     161,     166-8, 

186,  244,  247,  270,  277. 
Alfred,    Man-of-War,    120. 
Allen,  Ethan,  31. 

—  William,  92. 
America,  64,  107,  201. 

—  Grand  Master  of,  87,  93. 

—  Provincial    Grand    Mas- 
ter of,  94,  98. 

American  army,  36. 

—  dollar,   193-6. 

—  flag,   120. 

—  navy,  75. 

—  Revolution,  30,  31,  41,  46, 
60-1,  66,  69,  70-1,  73-4.  77, 
81,  95,  97,  99,  101,  120-1, 
130,  182,  230. 

Daughters  of,  128. 

Annapolis,  Md.,  123. 

Arbitration  Society  of  Amer- 
ica, 190-2. 

Army,  Continental,  36,  70, 
129. 

Ashe,  Elizabeth  Montfort, 
129. 

—  John  Baptista,  77,  129. 

Bacon's  Rebellion,  133. 
Ball,  Charles,   138. 

—  Elizabeth,   138. 


Ball,  George,  138. 

-  John  Augustine,  138. 

-  Joseph,   136,  150-1. 

-  Mary,  136-9. 

—  Samuel,  138. 
Baltimore,  Md.,  45. 
Barbadoes,  140,  153. 
Basset,    George    Washington, 

227. 

Bath,  278. 

Bauman,  Philip  K.,  237. 
Beaufort,  Duke  of,  87,  94,  97- 

8. 

Belcher,  James,  64. 
Belvoir  plantation,  155. 
Beverly,  England,  132. 
Bible,  2,  8,  9,  45,  48-9,  163, 

166,  215,  229-31. 

—  St.  John's  Lodge,  46,  50. 
Blair,  John,  33,  219. 
Blandford,  Va.,  217. 

Bon  Homme  Richard,  man-of- 
war,  113,  120. 

Bordeaux,  France,  70. 

Boston,  Mass.,  25,  27,  91,  178. 

Botts,  A.  B.,  229. 

Bridge's  Creek,  Va.,  134,  139, 
144. 

British,  33,  40,  129. 

—  navy,   149. 

—  Parliament,  63. 
Brooke,  Robert,  232. 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  123. 
Buchan,  Earl  of,  256. 
Bunker  Hill,  Mass.,  66. 
Burgesses,  House  of,  133. 


*  For   names   of   Lodges   and  Grand  Lodges,   see  under  Lodge  and 
Grand   Lodge,   respectively. 

281 


282 


INDEX 


Burton,  Robert,  119. 
Bush,  Solomon,  72. 
Butler,  Jane,  135-8. 
Byron,  Lord,  92. 

Caldwell,  John   S.,  238. 
Cambridge,     Mass.,    26,    30, 

178. 

Campbell,  Daniel,  20. 
Capitol,  United  States,  51. 
Carolina,  25. 

Cartagena  campaign,   153. 
Carter,  Charles,  254. 
Caswell,  Richard,  67. 
Cave,  Washington's  Masonic, 

24. 

Charlestown,  W.  Va.,  24. 
Charters,  212,  231. 
Cherbourg,  France,  123. 
Christ    Church,    Alexandria, 

Va.,  166. 

-  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  34. 
Church  of  England,  63. 
Cincinnati   Society  of,  41,  187. 
Civil  War,  231. 
Clark,  Thomas,  129. 
Gay,  Thomas  Savage,  8. 
Clinton,  DeWitt,  68. 
Clinton,  George,  255,  276. 
Cohen,  Moses,  72. 
Colombia,      South     America, 

153. 
Congress,  Continental,  34,  40, 

77. 

—  Federal,  77. 
Connecticut,  67-8,   182. 

—  line,  27. 
Constitution  of  1723,  22. 

—  United  States,  184. 
Continental  Army,  70,  129. 

—  Congress,  34,  40,  77. 
Conventions    of    Lodges,    33, 

63,  95,  216-17. 
Cornerstone  of  United  States 

Capitol,  52. 

Cornwallis,  Lord,  228. 
Cowpens,  Battle  of,  130. 


Coxe,   Daniel,   23,  28,   88-90, 

276. 

Crawley,  W.  J.  Chetwode,  19. 
Crown   and    Anchor   Tavern, 

London,  97. 

Crutchficld,  Oscar  M..  234. 
Culpepper    County,    Va.,    151. 

-  Lord,  133. 

Custis,  Daniel   Park,  154. 

—  Eleanor  Park,  262. 

-  George      Washington 
Park.  262-3,  266. 

—  Martha  Dandridge,   154. 

Dandridge,  Bartholomew,  253- 
4. 

—  Mary,  253. 

—  John,  253. 
Daniels,  Ursula  M.,  128. 
Daughters  of  American  Rev- 
olution,   128. 

Davies,  William  R.,  67,  114. 
Davis,  Rev.,  55. 
Dawes,  William,  60. 
Day,  Benjamin,  221. 
Democracy,  199,  200. 
Dejumonville,  M.,   152. 
De  Kalb,  Baron,  70. 
De  La  Motta,  Capt.,  70. 
De  Leon,  Capt.,  70. 
DeVal,  Isaac,  71. 
Devignole,  John,  92. 
Dismal       Swamp      Company, 

273. 

District  of  Columbia,  229. 
Dollar,   American,    193-6. 
Drake,  man-of-war,    123. 
Dudley,  John  G.,  10. 

Edwards,  Pierrepont,  67. 
Elizabethtown,  N.  J.,  45. 
England,  23,  61,  65,  85-6,  90- 

8,  124-6,  132,  205,  216. 
Episcopal  Church,   166. 
Epping  Forest,   136. 
Eutaw     Springs,    battle     of, 

129. 


INDEX 


283 


Fairfax  parish,  166. 
—  Anne,  155. 

-  County,    Va.,    141,    147, 
153. 

-  Sir    William,    143,    149, 
150-1,  162. 

Federal  Congress,  77. 
Festival     of     St.     John     the 

Evangelist,    Philadelphia, 

34. 

France,   120-3. 
Frank,  Col.  Isaac,  70. 
Franklin,  Benjamin,  22,  23,  29, 

59,    63,   68,   92,   96,    113, 

162,  257. 
Fredericksburg,  Va.,   17,   102, 

105,  137-9,  140,   142,  175, 

203-4. 
Freemasonry,  French,  20. 

-  Scottish,  20. 
Freemason's     Arms     Tavern, 

60. 

Free    Mason's   Hall,   London, 
85-6,  96. 

Freemasons,   Jewish,   69,   70. 

Freemason's  Lodge,  Philadel- 
phia, 96. 
—  Sons  of,  20. 

Free  Schools,  186,  200,  247. 

French  and  Indian  War,  24, 
27,  152,  175. 

French  Masonry,  20. 

Gait,  William  G.,  9. 

Gates,   Horatio,  40. 

General    Grand    Master    for 
the  United  States,  36-9. 

Georgetown,  Md.,  45,  161. 

Georgia,  25,  67,  71-2,  183. 

Gilpin,   Colonel,  55. 

Gist,  Mordecai,  68. 

Gloucester   County,    134,    136. 

Gooch,  General,  153. 

Grand    Lodge,   ancient,    Eng- 
land, 61. 

District  of  Columbia, 

229. 


Grand  Lodge,  England,  61,  65, 

85-6,  90-8,  205. 
Ireland,  65,  217. 

-  Maryland,  44,  52,  173. 

-  Massachusetts,  27,  59, 
73,  89,  93,  172. 

-  modern,         England, 
216. 

New  Jersey,  11. 

-  New   York,  8,  9,  22, 
32,  40,  42,  46,  48,  90. 

-  North    Carolina,    64, 
94-6. 

-  Oklahoma,   11. 

-  Pennsylvania,       21-2, 
34-5,  37,  39,  42-4,  89,  172, 
217. 

-  Scotland,  20,  65,  204, 
212,  217. 

St.  John's  Provincial, 

93. 

South   Carolina,    171. 

Tennessee,  94-5. 

Va.,  9-11,  43,  64,  204- 

5,  216-17,  228. 
Grand    Master    of    America, 

87,  93. 

Gray,  Wm.  F.,  223. 
Great  Britain,   121,   182. 
Great  Dismal  Swamp,  255. 

—  Meadows,  275. 
Green  Dragon  Tavern,  60. 
Greene,  Nathaniel,   Genl.,  31, 

77. 
Gridley,  Jeremy,  91-2. 

—  Richard,  27,  60. 
Grove  House,  124,  127,  128. 

Halifax,  No.  Carolina,  75-7, 
79,  81,  84-5,  87,  94,  96,  97, 
99,  101,  110,  112,  127,  128, 
129. 

Hamilton,  Alexander,  66,  162. 

—  Charles  H.,  48. 
Hancock,  John,  31,  59,  60,  175. 
Harding,  President,  47-8. 
Harnett,  Cornelius,  64,  219. 


284 


INDEX 


Hart.  Jonathan,  36. 
Harvard  University,  174,  176- 

79. 

Hays,  Moses  Michael,  72. 
Hay  wood,  Marshall  de  Lancy, 

89,  92. 

Henry,   Patrick.  63. 
Hewes,  Joseph.  114,  116-18. 
Houdon,  119-122. 
Howison,  Samuel,  227. 

Ireland,  25,  62,  64-5,  217. 
Israel,  Mikre,  72. 

Jackson,  Andrew,  227. 
Jackson.  James,  67,  72. 
James  River,  248. 

-  Company,  279. 
Jay,  John,  31. 

Jefferson,  Thomas.  63,  73,  162. 
Jewish  Masons,  69,  70. 
Jews,  70,  71,  73. 
Johnson,  Sir  John,  32. 
Johnston,  Samuel,  119. 
Jones,  Allen,  109-12,  114,  116- 
7,  126. 

—  Cadwallader,  113. 

—  John    Paul,   75,   82,   99, 
103-128. 

—  Mrs.  Willie,  130. 

—  William  Paul,  104. 

—  William,  105,  109. 

—  Willie,     109-13,     116-17, 
124-7. 

Julian,  Charles,  209. 

Kentucky,  269. 

King    George    County,    Vsu, 

141. 

Knox,  Henry,  41-162. 
Kirkenbright,  Scotland,  101. 
Kircudbright,    Scotland,    99- 

100. 

La  Costa,  Isaac,  72. 
Lafayette,  31,  42,  66,  70,  222- 
6,  258. 


Lafayette.  Mme.,  42. 
Lancaster  County,  136. 
Lang,  Ossian,  87,  89,  91-2. 
Langdon.  Samuel,  179. 
Lear.  Tobias.  258-261. 
Lee.  Richard  Henry,  73. 

—  George,   154. 

-  Robert  E.,  187. 

"Lighthorse"  Harry,  31. 
Leslie,  General,  129. 
Levy,  Benjamin,  73-4. 
Lewis,  Andrew.  275. 
Lewis.  Betty.  141.  254,  264. 

—  Charles.  207. 

—  Fielding,  141,  138,  207. 

-  Lawrence.  184,  262.  264, 
266. 

—  George,  258. 
Liberty,  196,  198. 

-  Hall  Academy,  186,  251. 

-  personal.  198. 

—  religious,  197. 
Little,  Colonel,  55. 

—  Kenhawa  River,  274. 

—  Miami  River,  276. 
Livingston,  Robert  R.,  31,  46- 

7,  50,  68. 
Lodge,    Alexandria,    No.    39, 

Pa.,  42. 
22,    Va.,    43,    52, 

—  American,   No.  63,  Va., 
238. 

Union,  No.  1.,  Mass., 

27,  29,  35-6. 

—  Astor,  N.  Y.,  8. 

—  Botetourt.  Va.,  213,  217. 

—  Cabin  Point  Royal  Arch, 
Va.,  64,  217. 

—  Cherrydale,  Va.,  10. 

—  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  20. 

—  Falmouth,  Va.,  212. 

—  First,     Boston,     Mass., 
60. 

—  Fredericksburg    No.    4, 
Va.,  8-9,   79,    175,  203-4, 
212,  215,  217,  239. 


INDEX 


285 


Lodge,    George    Washington, 
N.  Y..  9. 

—  No.  2.  Pa..  72. 

—  Holland.  N.  Y.,  44. 

—  Kilwinning,      No.      122, 
Scotland.   101. 

—  King  David,  No.  1.  R.  I.. 
44.  171. 

—  Marblehead.  Mass.,  60. 

—  Norfolk.  Va..  220. 

—  Royal    White    Hart.   75, 
78.  82-4,  94-5.  97.  101. 

—  Social  and  Military  Vir- 
tue, No.  227.  Ireland,  24. 

—  Solomon's,    No.    1,    Ga., 
71. 

N.  Y..  40. 

—  St  Andrew's.  Mass.,  60- 
L 

Bernard,  Scotland,  99. 

John's  No.  1,  N.  H., 

100. 
N.  Y..  9,  46- 

& 

2,  N.  C,  171. 

Pa..  22. 

—  Williamsburg.   Va..  216. 
Lodges.  Ancient,  62. 

—  Constitution  of.  213. 

—  Convention  of,  33,  95. 

—  Military,  24,  27,  29,  36, 
39. 

—  Modern,  62. 

London,  England,  62,  97,  85- 

6,  96. 
Louisiana,  20. 

Maddox  Creek,  Va.,  138. 
Madison,  73. 
Maffitt,  Rev.,  55. 
Marion,  Francis,  31. 
Marshall,  John,  66,  68. 
Marsteller,   Colonel,  55. 
Maryland,  44,  52,  173,  269. 
Mary  Washington  house,  142. 
Mason,  George,  142,  162,  182, 
184. 


Masonic  birthday  of  Wash- 
ington, 8,  10. 

-  Ideal  of  Wealth.  193. 
—  Temple.  83.  85,  96. 

Massachusetts.  26-7.  30-2,  37, 
59,  68,  72,  89,  93,  172, 
182. 

Mawey,  Stuart,  108. 

Mercer.  James,  217-19,  232. 

Mercer.  John  F.,  183. 

Military  Lodges,  66,  67. 

Milnor,  68. 

Montague,  Viscount,  90. 

Montfort.  Henry,  64. 

-  Joseph,  64.  75,  80,  82-3, 
85-7,  89.  92-4,  96,  98,  110, 
127.  217,  219. 

Montgomery,  George  T.,  48. 
Monument,  Washington,  229. 

-  Mother  of   Washington, 
227-8. 

—  Yorktown,  228. 
Morgan,  162. 
Morris,  Robert,  31,  73. 

-  William,  107. 
Morristown,  N.  J.,  36. 
Morrow.  John  J.,  48. 
Morton,  Jacob,  46. 
Moses,  Isaac,  73-4. 
Moultrie,  William,  31. 
Mount    Vernon,   26,   42,    133, 

134-5.  138,  141,  147-9,  153- 
7,  159,  166,  220,  259, 
265. 

Muir,  Rev.  Dr.,  55. 

Myers,  Samuel,  72. 

Nathan,  Simon,  72. 
Naval  Academy,  U.  S.,  123. 
Navy,  American,  75. 
Newburgh,  N.  Y.,  30. 

—  Address,  40. 
New  England,  25,  90-1. 

—  Hampshire,  67,  101. 

—  Jersey,  11,  23,  28,  36,  68, 
88-9. 

Newport,  R.  I.,  44,  72,  171. 


286 


INDEX 


New    York,   8.   9,   22-3,   25, 
29,   32,  40-8,   68,   88,  90, 
269. 
City.  45,  47. 

N'oah,  Mordccai,  73-4. 

Nones,  Benjamin,  70. 

Norfolk.  217. 

—  Duke  of.  23. 

North     Ainerica.     Provincial 
Grand  Master  of,  90. 

—  End  caucus.  61. 

—  Carolina.  32,  64.  75,  81. 
83,86.87-8.94-7.  109.  Ill, 
114,   119,  120,   124-5,   130, 
171. 

Nunes,  David,  71. 

—  Moses,  71. 

Ogdcn,  Aaron,  68. 
Oglcthorpe.  Gen.,  71,  183. 
Ohio,  24,  68. 

—  River,  152,  274. 

-  Company,  152. 
Oklahoma,  11. 
Old  Charges,  19. 
Onderdonk,  Frederick  A.,  48. 
Operative  Freemasonry,  20. 
Otis,  James,  31,  59,  63. 
Oxnard,  Thomas,  91. 

Park,  Col.  John,  35. 
Parker.  M.  M..  230. 
Paris.  France,  121. 
Paul,  William,  105,  107,  109. 
Payne,  Colonel,  55. 
Pennsylvania,  21-3,  25,  28,  30- 

5.  37.  39,  43-4,  64,  68,  7. . 

88-9,  92,  172,  182,  217,  255, 

269. 
Philadelphia,    22-5,    33-4,    37, 

43,  45.  72-3,  89,  96,  158. 
Phillips,  George  H.f  48. 
Phillips,  Henry  M.,  72. 
Phillipse,  Mary,  156. 
Phillips,  Zalegman,  72. 
Pohick  Church,  166. 
Pope,  Anne,  133. 


Porter,  General,  121-2. 
Portsmouth.  N.  H.,  100. 
Potomac   River.  54.   132,   137, 

152.  248.  275. 
Preston,  Francis,  239. 
Price.  Henry.  90. 
Prince  William  County,  Va., 

139. 

Proctor.  Colonel,  35. 
Prohibitionists,     first     colony 

of,  183. 

Protestants.  69. 
Provincial   Grand    Master  of 

America,  90.  94,  98. 
New    England, 

90-1. 

—  —  —  —  Pennsylvania, 
92. 

Pulling,  John,  60. 
Putnam.  Israel,  31,  162. 

—  Rufus,  68. 

Quinn,      Silvanus      Jackson, 
236. 

Ramsay,  Colonel,  55. 
Randall.  Thomas  M.,  72. 
Randolph,  John,  210. 

—  Peyton,  31. 
Rappahannock  River,  103,  132, 

136-7,  139,  147,  155. 
Religious  liberty,  197. 
Revere,  Paul,  29,  31,  59,  61, 

68,  72. 

Rhodes  scholarships,  188. 
Rice,  W.  H.,  8. 
Richmond,  Va.,  9,  234-5,  255. 
Rising  Sun  Hotel.  210. 
Rhode  Island.  44.  72.  171.  182. 
Robinson,  Robert  H.,  48. 
Roll  of  Fredericksburg  Lodge, 

239. 

Roman  Catholics,  69. 
Roosevelt,  13.' 
Rowe,  John,  27. 
Roxbury,  Mass.,  27. 
Royal  Arch  Degree,  211-12. 


INDEX 


287 


Rumsey,  Mr.,  159. 
Russia,  121-2. 

Sachse.  Julius  F.,  170. 
Salomon,  Hyam,  73. 
Savannah,  Ga.,  71-2. 
Scotland.  20,  64-5,  100-1,  120, 

174.  204.  212.  217. 
Seal,  American  Union  Lodge, 

29. 

—  Fredericksburg      Lodge, 

Scixas,  Benjamin,  72. 
Sfrapis,  man-of-war,  120-1. 
Sherman,  Roger.  31,  184. 
Sheftall.  Levi.  72. 
-  Mordecai,  71. 

—  Shaftall.  71. 

Sign  of  the  Thistle,  Halifax, 

N.  C,  97. 

Simms,  Colonel,  55. 
Slavery.  182-4.  198. 
Smith,  William,  34. 
Society  of  the  Cincinnati,  41. 
Somerset,  Henry.  87. 
Sons  of  Freemasons,  20. 

Liberty,  61. 

South  America.  153. 
South  Carolina,  68,  113,  171. 
Spencer,   Nicholas,  133-4. 
Spitzer,   Bernard   M.,  72. 
Spooner,  George  W.  B.,  238. 
St.  Louis,  Mo.,  122. 
Stark,  John,  31. 
Stearns,  9. 

Steuben,  Baron,  31,  41. 
Stuart.  Gilbert,  214. 
Sullivan.  John,  31,  67. 
"Sun"    Taven,     Philadelphia, 

23,  89. 
Swearing,  167. 

Tarboro,  N.  C,  95. 
Tarleton,  Colonel,  128-30. 
Temple  of  Virtue,  Newburgh, 

N.  Y.,  40. 
—  oldest  Masonic,  75. 


Tennessee,  87,  94-5,  227. 
Tobago,  108-9. 
Tomlinson,  Robert,  91. 
Trenton,  N.  J.,  45. 
Truro  parish,   166. 
"Tun"    Tavern,    Philadelphia, 
23. 

United  States,  51,  94,  121,  123. 

Constitution,  184. 

Naval  Academy,  123. 

Valley  Forge,  30,  167. 

Vernon,  Admiral,  153,  155. 

Virginia,  8-11,  17,  23,  32-3, 
43,  52,  64,  79,  87,  102.  105, 
148,  160,  182,  186,  204-5, 
212,  216-17. 

Wakefield.    Va.,    132-4,    136, 

139,  145,  147-8. 
Warner,   Mildred,   134. 
Ware,  William,  231. 
Warren,    Joseph,    32,    59-60, 

66. 
Washington  Academy,  186. 

—  and  Lee  University,  187. 

—  Anne,  133. 

—  Augustine,  135-40,  145-6, 
148,  154,  263. 

—  Bushrod,  255,  258-9,  262, 
264,  266. 

—  Charles,  139,  237,  264. 

—  College,  187. 

—  D.  C,  185,  187,  229,  270, 
277. 

—  Elizabeth,  133,  207. 

—  George  A.,  264. 

—  George  Fayette,  261. 

—  George  Steptoe,  252,  258, 
264   266 

—  John,  132-5,  138-9. 

—  George,   son   of   Augus- 
tine,   146;    family,    132; 
birth     of,     23;     Masonic 
birthday,   8,    10,    170;   at 
Wakefield,    147;   at   Bar- 


288 


INDEX 


badoes,  153;  at  Mount 
Vernon,  147,  157;  initi- 
ated, 18,  206;  passed,  18; 
raised,  18;  Mother  Lodge, 
203-27;  inherits  ML  Ver- 
non, 154;  education,  162; 
Churchman,  166;  Ma- 
sonic Cave,  24 ;  takes  com- 
mand of  Continental 
army,  61 ;  Doctor  of 
Laws,  174;  Prayer  at 
Valley  Forge,  167;  nom- 
inated as  Grand  Master 
of  Va.,  33,  218;  nomi- 
nated as  General  Grand 
Master,  37-8;  attends  St. 
John's  Day  Festival,  34; 
address  at  Newburgh,  40 ; 
visitor  at  Solomon's 
Lodge,  Poughkeepsie,  N. 
Y.,  40;  President  Society 
of  Cincinnati,  41 ;  Mas- 
ter of  Alexandria  Lodge, 
43;  Honorary  Member 
Holland  Lodge,  N.  Y.,  44; 
dedication  N.  Y.  Book  of 
Constitutions,  42 ;  pre- 
sented with  address  by 
Grand  Lodge  of  Mary- 
land, 44;  accepts  honor- 
ary membership  in  Alex- 
andria Lodge,  42;  accepts 
apron  from  Lafayette,  42; 
inauguration  as  President 
of  U.  S.,  46;  President  of 
U.  S.,  47 ;  lays  corner- 
stone of  the  Capitol,  51; 
visit  to  his  mother,  49; 
death,  54;  funeral,  56-7, 
220,  266;  monument,  229; 
mother's  monument,  227- 
8;  will,  182, 243-279;  frees 
slaves,  182 ;  champion 
of  arbitration,  189;  father 
of  American  Trust  Com- 
panies, 189;  endowments 


for  education,  185;  pro- 
poses a  national  univer- 
sity, 248-51 ;  personal 
characteristics,  146;  char- 
ities, 168;  purchases  of 
land,  142;  library,  177; 
portrait,  214;  medal,  38; 
Masonic  sentiments,  170. 
Washington,  Lawrence  Au- 
gustine, 252,  261,  264. 

132-4,  137,  140-1,  143, 

148-51,  153,  154. 

—  Martha,  26,  142,  244,  266. 

—  Mary,  143. 

—  Mildred,  135. 

—  Samuel,    139,    251,    258, 
266. 

—  Thornton,  252. 

—  William,   129-30. 

—  William  Augustine,  254, 
258,  263,  266. 

Wayne,  "Mad  Anthony,"  31. 
Webster,  Daniel,  60. 
Weems,  Parson,  138. 
Weldon,  N.  C,  75. 
Wellford,  Beverley  R.,  235. 
Wentworth,  General,  153. 
Westmoreland    County,    Va., 

132,  134-5,  138,  147. 
West  Virginia,  24. 
Willet,  Marinus,  276. 
Williams,  Mr.,  148. 
Williamsburg,    Va.,    63,    158, 

216,  217. 

Williamsburg  Convention,  217. 
Williams,  Robert,  94-5. 
Willis,  WiUiam,  239. 
Winchester,  W.  Va.,  24,  278. 
Wise's    Tavern,    Alexandria, 

Va.,  42. 

Wooster,  David,  68. 
World  War,  13. 

Yorkshire,  132. 
Yorktown,  Va.,  40. 

—  Monument,  228. 


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